The Vampire Prince of Fire
by Lady Mondragon
Summary: AU Vampire fic. A chance meeting between two children creates an unbreakable blood bond that is forgotten until an strange series of events throws Katara into the path of a powerful vampire prince. Zutara, Bluetara some Maiko and Jetara
1. Prologue

Avatar the Last Airbender is not mine and neither is Zuko. They both belong to Nick, the lucky bums.

"Mommy mommy mommy, look what I can do!" A young blue eyed, mocha skinned girl of six hollered at her mother. She was jumping up and down waving her arms and the water behind her mirrored her motions. The tall, dark woman walking up to her, suddenly froze in her tracks, the smile on her face shattered and an expression of absolute horror spread across her face when she realized what her daughter was excited about. The young girl stopped her wild movements and ran towards her mother.

"Mommy, mommy, are you okay?" she asked, eyes wide with fear.

"Katara," her mother kneeled as she whispered "Never, ever do that again as long as you live, you hear me?" She was staring directly into Katara's eyes. She could see the tears in her mother's eyes and the look of horror was still there.

"Now be a good girl and go play with Sokka, okay," she said in a strained voice. The tiny girl nodded, as her mother's trembling hand tucked the dark strand of hair behind Katara's ear.

"I'm sorry mommy," the little girl squeaked as she wrapped her tiny arms around her mother's head unsure of what she had done to make her mother cry. Katara kissed her on the head and then turned around and trotted off to play with her brother.

Katara's mother knew benders were considered dangerous mutants in the South Pole and that the punishment for water bending was death. She was not afraid of her daughter's abilities but everyone else would be and thus she had to keep Katara's abilities hidden from the village for as long as possible. How long that would be, she did not know.

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"I don't understand father." A surly looking eight year old boy asked as he propped himself onto a plush, red chaise covered in soft, fluffy pillows.

"Why do we have to kill the humans? All we need is their blood. What is wrong with just drinking it and leaving them unconscious, or drinking the blood of animals?" He asked in a flustered tone.

"I have already told you Zuko, this is the way it is. We are the hunters and they are the hunted. It has been this way for millennia. Besides once a human is bitten, they become…half alive."

"What do you mean half alive?" Zuko was obviously puzzled by this statement.

"It means they are no longer human," a sweet, gentle voice answered from behind them. Zuko turned and saw his mother standing in the doorway, genuine sadness radiating from her face.

"They can't eat food like other humans, and their skin begins to burn when they go out into the sun." She told him gently. Zuko crossed his arms and clenched his jaw.

"So how are they different from the lower vampire classes?" He asked in confusion. His mother walked around the chaise and kneeled before him gazing into his yellow eyes.

"It is…painful for them, Zuko," she said. "Their bodies lose the ability to heal and so they slowly rot but they are not dead." She emphasized the last word.

"But why don't we just buy blood from them? That way we still get what we need and they don't get hurt?" Zuko asked innocently.

"Because then it would be no fun, brother," Azula answered condescendingly as she walked into the room.

"Azula!" her mother hissed. "We are not to make light of this subject."

"I'm just kidding mother," she retorted, her last word dripping with animosity.

"I can't wait until I get to kill my first human" Azula spoke animatedly. Too animated for Zuko's taste. "I already know how I am going to do it too." The evil gleam in her eye deeply unsettled Zuko. Azula had a gift for violence and was always talking about how to cause the most amount of pain with the least amount of effort. Feeling sick to his stomach, he decided to excuse himself for the evening. This rite of passage was still years away. He would worry about it when he had to.

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A/N

This is just the prologue. There are two casts, the daywalkers and the nightwalkers. The Fire Nation Royals are all daywalking vampires.

Any questions or comments, please feel free to shoot them at me.


	2. The Meeting

An angry, red moon hung low over the horizon, bathing the drifts of snow in an eerie red-orange light. Frigid, arctic gales howled through the neatly lined tents, resembling a row of soldiers. Inside, women and children slept huddled together for warmth in their fur-lined sleeping bags, oblivious to the secret meeting outside. All, except for one woman, Kilana, wife of Hakoda, who laid perfectly still in hopes of overhearing the warriors. She cast a quick glance over to her two slumbering children, satisfied with their soft, rhythmic breathing before moving closer to the entrance. There she quietly waited for the meeting to begin.

The fire burned low as the men gathered around it, listening to an old legend told by Chief Sangook, father of Kilana, grandfather of Sokka and Katara. Though bent by age, the old man's commanding presence remained, along with clear, blue eyes which sparkled with intelligence. Like a gnarled, old tree he stood before the glowing embers of the once raging fire, staring at each and everytribesmen in the eye. "For the last hundred years we have been fortunate not to have water benders from among us. We have been free to their wicked and twisted ways because of our watchfulness. Tonight, I have gathered you before the bloody moon, to remind you to remain ever vigilant, to exhort you in your efforts, to guide you to the truth."

The last embers were suddenly sparked to life by a violent gust of wind, startling those gathered around it. Sangook stared at the moon as if gathering inspiration for his tale. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and began slowly. "You see, long ago, before the Age of Chaos, water bending used to be a respected tradition, a skill highly revered by all tribesman because of its usefulness. It was used to fish as well as fight, and our survival often depended on it. We were blessed with incredibly powerful benders, rumored to have been trained by the Avatar himself, and children were eagerly handed to these masters to train. And so a strong line of powerful benders thrived. Many times the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom sent forces to try to occupy us, to try to steal our oil, and not once did they return to their native shores."

Loud cheers erupted from the group of men as they shook their fists in the air. The storyteller smiled and nodded, losing himself in the dusty lanes of his memory for a few moments before motioning to his men to pipe down and let him continue with his tale. "These benders were custodians of the seas, ensuring safe travels for those merchants and Water Tribe warriors who sailed their waters. It was the South Pole's golden age, but all golden ages have a cost. Every once in a while, on a moon much like this one, someone would go missing, never to be found. They were usually the most unsavory people in our clan, and we just assumed they banished themselves of their own volition, instead of aggrieving their families with more shame."

The bright fire light deformed, the chief's already contorted features, as a twinkle shone in his eye. "Slowly however, people began to notice things that would send shivers down their spines, placated only by reason… by knowing there were no such things as vampires." His voice trembled with such power on the last word. From the hiddden darkness of the tent, the woman sighed softly, nearly rolling her eyes to the back of her shaking head at her father's theatrics.

The younger men in the groups swallowed hard, their eyes darting around the circle as if half expecting a rotting corpse to jump out and ambush them. Fighting a smile of self satisfaction, Sangook continued. "In time however, one too many people started going missing. Tribesmen began noticing certain water benders did not age, hid from the sunlight or did not take their meals with the others. The villagers continued to silence their suspicions until one day..." The veteran storyteller paused dramatically and looked around the frightened faces of those gathered near. Dropping his voice to a raspy whisper he finished, "they found the oldest master feasting on the body of a young boy that had gone missing earlier that morning."

Chills ran down the eavesdropping woman's spine as she gripped the tent fabric tightly in her hands. Two dark blue eyes darted back to her sleeping children.

Mentally, the chief laughed when he heard the listeners simultaneously sucking in their breath, almost leaping out of their seats when one of the logs popped rather loudly.

"All chaos broke loose on that fateful day," the old man continued. "A small civil war ensued lasting only as long as the winter months of darkness followed. Three masters, one who was human and two who were vampires, took their students and fought against their sires, giving us non-benders a chance at survival. Not until the daylight months of summer did the tide turn. That was when those filthy creatures were slaughtered or exiled, along with any other bender – human or not." The warriors let out a small sigh of relief as their bodies relaxed, trying hard to mask the look of relief from their faces. They were fearless warriors after all.

"This is why we don't allow waterbenders among us. We must dispose of them the instant they are discovered, regardless of who they are. It is the only way for us to survive." This was the first time during the entire narrative that the storyteller spoke with true sincerity and it made the woman inside the tent shudder. "With Kirkut's passing, we now need a new enforcer, and we are gathered here tonight to pass the torch on to...Hakoda."

Two dark blue eyes grew wide in the darkness as the woman's heart stopped beating in her chest. _Say no, Hakoda, say no!_

From his parka, Sangook pulled out a small dagger with an ornate ivory handle. Cradling it gently in his hands, he raised it up to the moon muttering a silent prayer. Men stared in awe at the beauty and strength of the blade. A tall man rose from the group, walking towards the elder and knelt before him, receiving in his hands the dagger. "As the enforcer, your duty comes before you or your family. Do you understand the sacrifice it implies?"

Without hesitation Hakoda replied, "I do." The woman covered her mouth to keep her from crying out to her husband. _No!_

"Do you accept this great responsibility, my son? Will you carry out your duty, even if it means sacrificing those most dear to you?" Quietly Hakoda glanced back at his tent and thought of his wife and children.

"I do." His voice was quieter, but still strong. Hot tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she rocked back and forth, shaking her head in despair. _This can't be happening._

"Then Hakoda my son, I name you the new tribe enforcer. In your hands lies our future." That was the last thing Kilana heard before she blacked out on the frozen ground.

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Four torturous years later...

Everyone had seen it. Everyone. Whether or not they knew _what_ they had seen, was a different story. _It was an accident, but what if someone suspects Katara of bending ?_ A mortified Kilana slumped to her knees, defeated. It didn't matter that Katara's bending had saved her neighbor's stupid, reckless child from death, she was a bender and if anyone found out – she would be executed. Right now, her daughter was with her grandfather, recounting the story of how a snowdrift had "miraculously" risen from the ground, to break the boy's fall. _Tui and La, let my father believe her_, she pleaded with all her heart. _ I don't want to lose my little girl. _

Heavy footfalls alerted her to the fact that a male was approaching her abode, so she hastily wiped her tear-stained face with the sleeve of her parka, in a vain attempt to mask her crying. A strained smile filled her lips, in a pathetic effort to hide the dread that flooded her heart.

"Kilana?" Her husband's deep, gentle voice put her on edge.

She was not one to keep secrets from her husband. They were after all childhood sweethearts and had been best friends before marrying, but that same love that Hakoda felt for his family, he felt for the tribe. The saddened wife knew that for her husband, the well-being of his tribe, overrode that of their children, and she was beginning to resent it.

"Yes Hakoda?" Her voice waivered a bit. _He knows. Maybe, I should tell him. He's a good man – a great man, and a wonderful father..._

"How long have you known?" He looked serious, but not angry. All color immediately drained from her face as she rushed up to him, roughly grabbing him by the shoulders. Hakoda though mildly taken aback by her reaction, gazed lovingly at his wife as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's not like you to keep something like this from me." A small grin crept onto his lips as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

Kilana looked away from him. _Something's not right. He couldn't possibly know about Katara, could he? I have to find out_. An innocent smile bloomed on her lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about..." _Really, I don't, so spill._

"Sokka working on his first whalebone club, silly." His lips broke into a pleasant smile.

_Sokka's working on a whalebone club? _The mother felt her heart beat again. _When did this happen?_ "I just didn't want to...ruin the surprise," she stammered. _Smile and pretend, like you always do._

Reluctantly pulling away from his wife, Hakoda whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll act surprised when he shows me."

"Right." She nodded. Both parents turned their head when they heard small footsteps crunching the snow outside their tent. A little girl walked in, looking relieved. Kilana smiled broadly and turned to Hakoda, – "Just pretend you don't know anything and everything will be fine."

Once her father left, mother and daughter felt at ease. No words were exchanged between them, and didn't need to be. Kilana held her daughter close, gently kissing the top of her hat. _Thank you, Tui and La, _she praised in silence. But that relief soon turned to sorrow as the small body in her arms began to sob, causing a swell of emotion from her. Tears ran down her face as she intoned the same plea of always_. Tui and La,__ please, let her find a place to be where she is safe and can be herself, where she can bend._ But like always, those prayers had remained unanswered and life for Kilana, felt like one great big, fat, fragile lie.

The strain of keeping her secret took a toll on mother and daughter as well as everyone else. The constant fear that she would lose her daughter to her husband was slowly consuming the love she felt for him, much like a flame consumes the very candle which gives it light. In her mind, the man who was once the love of her life, had been replaced by an unyielding would-be tyrant who would sacrifice his only daughter on the altar of duty if need be. _One slip up like this one-and everything ends._ She shuddered. _As long as she doesn't water bend, nothing will change. Tui and La, please do not make me choose between my daughter and my husband – not yet. _

Terrified that someone would find out about her freakish powers, Kilana forced isolation on her child, making sure she avoided all children her age. Blue eyes, once bright and curious, turned opaque and blank, tearing the mother's heart to pieces. Her once jovial daughter, was now quiet and somber, as though she carried some great, unseen weight on her tiny shoulders. Slowly, the little bender withdrew from the world. Sometimes, late at night, Kilana would hear muffled cries coming from Katara's sleeping bag which consumed her with a quiet rage at her impotence to improve her daughter's situation. She grew resentful that she lived in a place where her daughter couldn't be herself. But all of that changed the day a Fire Nation envoy arrived on a ship.

----

Katara ran around the vast wasteland that was her home, screaming at the top of her lungs at her brother. " You call yourself a hunter," she panted as her breath crystallized in the air. Sokka only furrowed his forehead, launching a gigantic snowball at his sister's head, missing by a mile.

A squeal of delight escaped her lips. "Your aim stinks too!" A pink tongue stuck out of her mouth as she wildly waved her arms. The young water tribe warrior growled, holding back the urge to throw his boomerang at his sister's fat head.

"I'm just...warming up." Came his annoyed reply. _Why is she so fast? It's like she glides over the snow._

Katara rolled her eyes. He'd been warming up for the last half hour. "What's wrong Sokka, am I too fast for you?"

"No!" was his immediate reply as he broke into a run, but the truth was that she was too fast for him. The blue-eyed young man threw his arms in the air, in a sign of surrender, causing his baby sister to erupt into a victory dance. Playing hunter and seal with Sokka was-the last bit of happiness she had left.

The sun was setting, with the moon close on its heels. "Katara, it's getting late, we should go home."

Dread filled her little heart. "What Sokka, are you scared of the dark?"

The blue-eyed mini warrior scowled. "No!"

_I got him. _"Prove it. Let's play for five more minutes." Without waiting for a reply, Katara sprinted into the snow drifts, with her brother tailing closely, until they soon lost track of time and no longer knew where they were. Frantically the siblings began to look around, trying their best to find their way back home.

"Look Katara, it's going to be alright. Dad says I've got natural warrior instincts, so we'll just go..." Sokka paused for a moment as he furrowed his forehead and began to sniff the air.

"Sokka, now is not the time to act like you know what you're doing!" Katara looked like she was about to smack her brother upside his head, stopping in mid swing as, she too caught an odd stench. Both children looked at the darkening sky and saw black snow begin to fall.

"What the heck?" The older brother whispered, trying to hide his fear and confusion as an asphyxiating, burning smell, they did not recognize began to choke them. It singed their throat and irritated their eyes. They tried to get away from the smell, but found they were completely surrounded by it. Wandering aimlessly, the siblings tried to re-gain their bearings for what seemed like hours until they heard a deep, frightening rumbling, reminiscent of a cracking ice shelf. From childhood, all Water Tribe children had been taught to run away from that sound, for fear of falling into the deathly, frigid waters. But the faster they ran, the louder that sound seemed to get. Their legs were wobbly like seal blubber and their throats were on fire from the exertion, but it was all for naught, as their path was blocked by a monstrous, gray, steel ship, ramming into the ice shelf.

The siblings stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide with fear, as they heard a loud creaking sound come from the ship. A large, gray mouth seemed to open before them, with several tall, dark figures, clad in red, gathered at the brow. Terror coursed through their veins as fast as poison from the white jade bush, having much the same effect. For an instant, the siblings froze, as if enchanted, until a cold southern gale broke the spell.

"Katara..."Sokka whispered, as he grabbed his little sister's hand, "run!" Both sped away from the ship, hoping to take cover behind a snow drift. _We have to make it home to tell dad! _

Sokka trudged through the snow with ease, expertly dodging the cracking ice, his stumbling charge in tow. _The drifts aren't too far away now._ A rush of adrenaline flowed through him at the thought. _We must warn the village. _ "Come on Katara, we're almost there!" He spared a darting glance behind him and frowned.

Her short little legs tired quickly and she found herself being dragged, more than runnin_g. Spirits, make Sokka let go of my hand_, Katara intoned. Without her bending, she couldn't keep up with her brother and with her bending, they'd be able to travel faster. "Sokka, let go of my hand, it's okay I can..."

_Crack. _ Ice water muffled his panic-filled screams, violent gusts of wind whipping all around her body muted hers.

A group of three men and a teenager huddled on the brow, in a vain attempt at shielding themselves from the howling wind, black snow swirling in ominous, hypnotic patterns all around them. "Uncle, why are we here?" The golden-eyed adolescent asked looking around with obvious distaste.

"We need to inform the Southern Water Tribe that we'll be in their waters, Zuko." The old man in military dress uniform replied.

"But why? Their ships are pathetic, they're no match for us. Why do we need to bother with such backwards peasants?" Golden eyes narrowed as he strained to see a small blue figure in the distance.

"Because, nephew, they can be a thorn in our side. This is the home of the world's most powerful waterbenders and I doubt they'll take too kindly to our intrusion, unless we get their permission." The old man's eyes also seemed to linger on the same spot as the young man who had stopped listening to his uncle.

The adolescent seemed fixed on that area, when he heard a faint cry: "Sokka!"

If not for their well developed senses, the men on the ship would have never heard the young girl's cries. They descended from the brow, the youngest breaking into a run which ended the moment he sank, knee deep, into the dark snow. A low growl escaped from his lips as the frigid fetters around his legs became water. _Snow from above and below. Who would want to live here! _Muttering a low curse he continued walked through the snow, like a hot knife through butter. His uncle, the general, wasn't too far behind.

Frightened blue eyes, darted from her dying brother to the strange men brought by the black snow. She wanted to run, to get away from them, but she couldn't leave Sokka behind. As it was, he might not survive.

Throwing herself on her belly, she reached out to him, but he seemed to have no control over his limbs, the expression in his eyes was glazing over. Hot tears of desperation streamed down her cold cheeks. She wanted to scream, to command the water to return her brother to her, but instead, she remained motionless-like a statue._ Mom says I shouldn't bend in front of people but..._Hearing the men approach, she stood up with a determined look of concentration on her face. _I'm sorry mom..._The water danced as she moved slowly, controlling her breathing, pushing all the fear away..._but_ _I will not let Sokka die. _

The leader of the party, and old Fire Nation general, stared in awe, as his men approached the small figure clad in blue. Slowly, a young boy wrapped in snakes of water emerged from behind the floating ice chunks. The snakes of water carried the boy onto solid ice as the little girl collapsed from exhaustion. He ordered his men to take both of them onto his ship, so that they could be given medical attention.

-----

Katara came to and found herself being carried up a steep metal brow by a surly, pasty-looking, boy. Really more of a young man, but she could care less as she found herself about to disappear into the dark, cavernous opening of the very ship they had tried to run away from. She could see one of the other men was carrying a still unconscious Sokka, from the corner of her eye. An earsplitting shriek erupted from her as she thrashed around violently. The boy practically threw her on the ground, he was so angry and startled. Like a spring she bounced back up and before he could fall into a fighting stance, she had elbowed him in the gut, shoving him to the floor as she ran towards her brother.

Golden eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Quickly he ran his hands over his ribs making sure none were broken before he got off the ground, but he wasn't fast enough. Two blue arms flailed, turning the falling snow into a barrage of tiny icicles she mercilessly hurled at Sokka's captors. Though they remained unfazed; this act-caught the attention of the older man in charge of the party. He stopped to look at his young attacker, but she seemed too busy charging on his nephew to notice him watching. Fire and ice clashed at the command of the children, neither of whom wanted to be the first to back down.

From the top of the ramp, he could easily see the conflict had become personal for his nephew. A broad grin spilled over his lips and he couldn't help but smile when the pale young man hurled two large fireballs at the waterbender. Silently he shook his head, _Oh children today are so dramatic. I should probably put an end to this, though, before my nephew gets hurt. _

The men in his party halted suddenly as the old general made his way toward the young girl. "We mean you no harm, little girl," the fatherly general called to her softly. But his kindness was met by a cold, blue glare and an ill-formed water whip, which barely missed his face.

He cautiously inched closer, as though he were approaching a dragon hatchling when one of his men yelled out, "Sir, the boy's heart has stopped beating!"

Katara ran towards her brother but was blocked by the older man. "I have a healer on board. Please, let us help your brother." The little waterbender tried to push him out of the way, failing miserably. She looked up to glare at him and immediately wished she hadn't. A pit opened in her stomach as she looked into his golden eyes, which seemed to draw her in. All she could do was quietly stare at him while a haze engulfed her. Almost involuntarily, her head nodded in agreement. The general waved his hand and the man carrying Sokka quickly disappeared from view.

Katara stood deathly still as her brother was taken away, her body incapable of responding to her commands. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she tried to focus one last attack. Closing her eyes, she pictured the snow and willed it into a sharp icicle. With tremendous effort she raised her right hand and with a simple flick of the wrist it flew through the air.

_Thwick. _The sound of deadly contact was sickening.

A faint whisper escaped her lips as she collapsed on the floor, gasping for air in between violent coughing fits. The icicle intended for the general, had hit her instead. Zuko stared in strange fascination as the pool of her blood grew bigger. He knelt besides Katara, instantly knowing it was a mistake. The sweet aroma of fresh blood invaded his nostrils stoking a primal hunger in him.

Iroh narrowed his eyes at his nephew. "Zuko, grab the girl and take her to the infirmary." The surly, young man stared at his uncle, like he had received a command in a foreign language. "NOW!"

Immediately, general Iroh's nephew snapped into action, picking up the dying girl in his adolescent arms, quickly disappearing into the bowels of the ship. Terrified, blue eyes looked up into golden. Horrible gasping sounds came from her tiny mouth as she struggled to breathe. _She's not much younger than Azula_, he frowned as he willed his legs to run faster. The coughing fits continued until blood dribbled out of the corners of her mouth. Her skin once a rich, mocha color, was now tinged with blue. _She doesn't have much time left_. With whatever energy he had left, he sprinted wildly through the gauntlet of mechanical equipment used for navigation, getting the injured girl to the healer. _Just hold on!_

-----

Gently, he lowered her body on one of the examination tables. In one swift motion, he grabbed gauze jelly and bandages from the shelf as he attempted to cover the injury. His hands shook as he tried to apply the jelly around the wound. _Cover the hole to make a seal,_ _make sure you leave one side open,_ he repeated, pushing all thoughts of drinking the life giving fluid, far from his mind. He was trying to stick the gauze over the wound, like his uncle had taught him. Clumsy fingers to fumbled around trying to form a seal, failing miserably._ Why won't you STICK!_ he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. Bright red blood continued to flow freely, collecting into a pool all around her body. Its smell was even more cloying than he remembered. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but he found his lips uncontrollably drawn to the dying girl's wound. Quickly he pulled himself away, ashamed of his momentay loss of control. _Someone else needs to do this._

"Lieutenant Ping!" he bellowed, "Lieutenant Ping, I need your help!"

"I'll be right there," the old healer answered absentmindedly as he continued wrapping the unconscious boy until he looked ready for the pyre.

Zuko cast an annoyed glance behind him only to see Ping busy himself with the hypothermic boy on the table while the apprentice was idly standing by. "Ing get over here!" The prince cried out.

The young man looked at him, pointed at the old healer and shook his head. "I have to watch my master."

Zuko was about to scream at the lazy oaf when the body before him lurched, gasping for air. The young girl was trying hard to stay alive. Clear blue eyes reflected the terror she felt at not being able to breathe. They seemed to cry out to him for help, but there was little else he could do. _There's too much blood!_ Two pale fists banged against the cold metal table as he watched the girl transpire before his very eyes; helplessness consumed his soul. "Lieutenant PING!"

One last whimper escaped her lips before she stopped struggling. He stood there staring at the precious, life-giving fluid that continued pouring out of her. It's smell was inviting – hypnotizing really – which ruptured his thin veneer of self control. Without thinking, he lowered his head pressing his lips to her back. Delicious, warm, blood trickled down his throat as he maintained pressure on the wound. His lips felt the faint palpitations of her heart and he almost smiled, _She's still alive. _

Pulling away from her, his golden eyes stared at his bloodstained hands, feeling the warm, red fluid coagulate on his white skin. _The Sanguine Trial...Father will kill me if he finds out!_ His stomach turned into a knot as he looked around him. Relief spread through his body – _good, its only Ping and Ing, and they're too dumb to know what's going on – _only to fill with tension again when he quietly stared at the girl lying on the cold, metal table. Roughly, he wiped his mouth clean of her blood with the back of his arm as he heard a slow shuffling approach him from behind.

"Oh dear." The old man muttered as he shook his head, frowning when he saw the puncture wound on her back. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone survive this sort of injury. The only person who can help her now is a waterbending healer." Quietly, he turned to the boy standing beside her table. "Her vital signs are fading fast and even if you create a seal, there's already too much blood in her lungs." Ping gently placed a gnarled, old hand on Zuko's shoulder. "There's nothing _we _can do for her your highness. I'm sorry." His wrinkly face looked sad, but his cloudy eyes remained indifferent.

Zuko shrugged off the lieutenant's hand, restraining the urge to wrap his bloodstained hands around his pencil neck. "Ing, fill the tub with water...five minutes ago!" He roared. _She's a waterbender, maybe she can heal herself._

Immediately the seaman complied. Without rolling back his sleeves, the frantic prince stuck both arms in the tub, heating the fluid, melting the bits of ice floating on it before roughly grabbing the girl's body and tossing it in there. He could feel the eyes of Ping and his apprentice staring at him in bewilderment. "But your Highness – you'll kill the girl." Ping stammered.

"You said she was as good as dead, so I don't see the problem." The young prince's lips formed a tight line as he stared at the tub containing the girl.

A faint blue glow radiated from the girl's motionless body. A look of awe shone in the eyes of the men gathered there, dropping what they were doing to come stare at the moribund girl floating in the glowing tub. No one noticed an older gentleman walk in or a young Water Tribe warrior wake up from his slumber.

-------

Katara woke up to a din of voices with accents she had never heard before. They smelled like strong spices and heavy perfume, making her head ache. The world around her was blurry and her eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the dim light of the room. Slowly she made out the faint outline of a pair of golden eyes and the pale face of a rather handsome boy, hovering over her.

"Uncle, she's waking up" the boy called out.

Katara sat up with a start when she was hit with a wave of pain engulfing her head that made her throw up all over the blanket she was wrapped in. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she continued regurgitating. A large wrinkled hand pulled her hair away from her face until the entire contents of her stomach had emptied out all over the floor.

"Wow. It's amazing how so much can come out of someone so small." The general's eyes disappeared behind a mountain of wrinkles as he smiled.

Blue eyes pleadingly looked into gold. " Where's my brother?" She looked around her, her stomach filling with lead when she did not see him. "Where's Sokka?"

"He's in the kitchen harassing my cook." Iroh deadpanned. "Apparently, the smell of roasted duck has miraculous healing properties."

Katara couldn't help but smile weakly. _Yeah, that's Sokka alright._ The general's laid-back demeanor put her at ease. Though still without strength, she apologized for her earlier attack and thanked him for saving her and her brother, but that apology did not extend to his nephew, which she still eyed suspiciously, like a mother would a naughty child.

_Stupid peasant, _the young prince thought to himself as he shrank under her scrutinizing glare. _Why is she looking at me like that. _He had to fight down the urge to either run out of the room, or throw a huge fireball at her head. _We'll see if she looks at me the same way after I give her a pair of singed eyebrows! _Pale hands began heating up when the door burst open. Never in his life had he been happier to see the healer and his apprentice.

"Sir, you called for us?" Ping and Ing panted in unison.

"Yes. I need you to prepare a sweet draught for the young lady here, Lt. Ping." The old man bowed and skilfully evaded the pool of vomit on the floor, secretly thanking Agni he didn't have to clean it up.

"Ing, you clean up this mess." General Iroh commanded. Ing stared into the pool at chunks that resembled partially digested seal jerky. A cold shudder ran through his body before grabbing cleaning utensils from one of the cupboards.

The prince smirked. _Serves him right for not wanting to help that peasant. _From the corner of his eye, Iroh recognized the look of self satisfaction on his nephew's face.

"Zuko...help him." Instantaneously, his smirk became a scowl at his uncle's command. All color drained from his face and he looked like he too was about to be sick.

The general carried Katara off the bed and took her to a different room where he warmed water for her and gave her a new set of red, silk robes. "Take as long as you need my dear. If you need anything, just tell the guard outside your door." The brunette nodded slowly, straining to smile.

She stumbled into the tub, near tears from the pain in her head. Every breath she took, made her feel as though rein-elk had kicked her in the chest. Almost as though by instinct, she felt the urge to submerge herself in the warm water. Slowly she felt her body relax as the pain let up a bit. If not for the need to breathe, Katara would have slept underwater.

Once the headache became tolerable, she completed her ablutions, clothing herself in the expensive looking robes. _I wonder what these are made of, _ she mused as her small brown hand caressed the cool, smooth fabric. _I don't think red is my color though. _Tiny hands pulled silver streaks of water from her hair as she bended it dry. Slim fingers combed the thick, brown mane, framing her faceWanting to check her work, Katara looked for a mirror, but found none. _I guess this will have to do, _ she sighed as she collected her bloodied clothes and rinsed them in the tub of water. A sinking feeling invaded her stomach when she put her index finger through the hole in the back of her robe. _How __**did**__ I survive?_

Like a bolt of lightning ripping through the sky, all the neurons in her head seemed to fire at once. A shriek flew from her lips as she collapsed on the floor, clutching her head while she writhed in pain. She didn't hear the heavy footsteps of the old general, his nephew or any of the men who had stormed her room-nor did she care. All she wanted was for the stabbing pain to stop. It had rendered her incapable of any rational thought, so she didn't object when she was back in the arms of the pasty prince, being deposited on a soft surface.

Zuko cast a worried glance at the girl's thrashing body. For a brief moment,the world around him disappeared and all he could focus on was her suffering. Involuntarily, his pale, trembling hand reached for her, but became a fist the minute he remembered he wasn't alone. He muttered an audible curse as he stalked out of the room, avoiding Iroh's searching gaze.

The kindly old man sat on the edge of the mattress, held her close to him and whispered something in her ear as he tucked her into a nice warm bed. He stroked her hair as he spoke in a soothing tone, slowly calming her down until she fell asleep. His once jovial eyes looked grave as he left the sleeping child's room. _Zuko, what did you do?_

A tall man in a blue parka looked up at the menacing, storm-filled sky. Black clouds hid the sinister sanguine moon, whose light tinted the heavens red, and try as hard as he might, Hakoda could not hide the worried look upon his brow. "Kilana, have you seen Sokka and Katara?"

From a leather tent, a dark woman with chocolate colored hair emerged holding a spoon made out of bone. "They're not with you?"

The man grimly shook his head. Dark blue eyes filled with worry, as she dashed inside the tent, frantically looking for some torches. "I knew that black snow was an omen," her voice trembled. "I should have gone out to look for them sooner, but I thought they were with you." Tears poured from her sapphire colored eyes.

"They're probably playing hunter and seal. You know how much Katara likes that game. I'm sure they're on their way home," he said, mostly trying to reassure himself.

Kilana wiped the tears from her eyes as she pulled out several torches. "You're probably right, but round up Bato and the other men and go look for them." Hakoda quietly nodded as he took them from her hand. "And when you find them, make sure you give them this for me." The worried mother threw her arms around her loving husband, in a bear hug.

The Watertribe warrior made his way through the tents, peeking his head in each one, asking all of the men to grab their torches and help him look for his children. He didn't have to ask twice. Whenever someone got lost the tribe would mobilize immediately. Time was of the essence if they were to find them alive.

About twenty men formed a circle around the communal fire waiting for Hakoda to speak. The youngest amongst them huddled closest to the fire, speaking in hushed whispers as they clutched their whalebone clubs tightly. Hakoda raised his arms, and silence spread through the circle.

"Sokka and Katara are missing and we need to conduct a perimeter search before the storm picks up, however, if it hits early..." _Spirits, bind the clouds and don't let my_ _voice crack_. "I want all of you to return here at once." The men looked surprised but nodded and lit their torches in the fire.

"Hey Hakoda," asked a young man with a torch and three scraggly whiskers scarcely passing themselves as a beard, "Do you think...well, the black snow...maybe it's...well you know..._them_?" As he said this his eyes darted all around him, as though he were expecting someone to spring up from the shadows.

A puzzled look, crossed Hakoda's face as he tried to make sense of the young man's rambling.

A portly, middle-aged man standing next to the concerned father looked around before speaking in a low voice. "What Kinto here is trying to say is, do you think they were taken by those things Chief Sangook likes to talk about when he's had too much sea prune sake?"

"I heard that, Kirkuk!" The middle-aged man cringed as a grumpy, old man yelled from across the circle. "They're called _vampires_ and believe me, they are real."

Sokka's father looked somber and held the inquisitor's gaze. "No, I don't think so. But if it is, I'll be ready for him." He patted the scabbard where he kept the slaying blade.

------

Zuko returned to his room where he sat before an altar covered in candles. His eyes were tightly shut as he struggled to concentrate on his meditation. _Feel the flame, feel its warmth, feel it...roasting me if father finds out I drank human blood. _Honey colored eyes opened wide at the thought. _Her headache seemed too intense. _A sinking feeling invaded his stomach. _What if I..._he paused for a moment, cold shivers running down his spine. _Impossible! I didn't even scrape her._ He dropped his head into his hands. Never had he regretted anything more in his life. _I just hope Uncle, doesn't figure it out._

His lament was cut short by a gentle tapping at the door. "Who is it?" he called out.

"Just me Zuko." A deep, dark despair enveloped him. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

_He knows. _For an instant, he felt like pretending he wasn't there, but he had already called out to his uncle. "Um. Come in?" The door slowly opened revealing a stout old man. On his mouth he wore a pleasant grin, but the look in his eyes was cold and hard.

Quietly Iroh sat down next to his nephew, assuming a meditative position. Zuko waited on baited breath for his uncle to speak. The old man took a deep cleansing breath and released it.

"Zuko, I am proud of the way you handled yourself today." His eyes remained closed, but his tone was sincere. "I know today is a sanguine moon, but you restrained your impulses and saved the girl's life. I am proud of of your efforts." He inhaled and the flames nearly died.

Zuko swallowed hard. _Here it comes._

He exhaled, bringing the flames to life, making them dance wildly on their wickers. "What I don't understand nephew, is _how_ you saved her. How did you know she was a healer?" Iroh's eyes were now open, boring through the young man sitting beside him.

"I didn't." Zuko shrugged. "Ping said she was already dead, that only a waterbending healer could save her. She's a waterbender...I had nothing to lose."

Iroh seemed satisfied with his answer. "You know, there was a lot of blood all over the place. I was afraid some might have accidentally found its way into your mouth. You didn't taste any of it, did you?"

Zuko's heart turned to lead. "No uncle. I was careful not to taste her blood." _Don't look at him, but don't act like your not trying to look at him. Why couldn't I be Azula right now._

"I know you know that drinking blood from a human before your Sanguine Trial is forbidden, but do you know why?" Zuko quietly shook his head, avoiding his uncle's interrogating gaze. "The reason why this is so, is because it creates an unbreakable bond between the hunted and the hunter."

Suddenly all the candles began to burn wildly. Iroh took a deep breath and looked sadly at his nephew. "When you drink their blood, you take a small part of the victim's mind and theirs becomes tainted by you. "

Zuko turned to his uncle. "So it's like turning someone?"

Iroh shook his head. "No. You have a different connection to those you turn; with the prey – you feel what they feel, see what they see." The old man's eyes had a far away look to them, "Sometimes, you feel their very heart beat within your breast." A wrinkled hand reached out, lightly tapping the young man's chest. Zuko could have sworn his uncle's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You know what it's like to be human – through them."

"And the prey?" Zuko asked hesitantly.

"They remain mostly unaffected. From time to time they will also feel what those who have bonded with them do – if it's intense enough."

"Then why is it so forbidden?" Zuko blurted out, mentally swearing at his idiocy. His curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"It matters because you become vulnerable." Iroh's voice became a whisper, and for a moment he seemed lost in a distant memory. "If something happens to them, you'll care, whether you want to or not." He paused for a second while he regained his train of thought. "The point of the Sanguine Trial is to embrace your role as predator. You form a powerful bond with your prey and then break it. The pain you feel from killing your first human, shows you how fragile humans really are. It makes you respect them and appreciate your place in the universe. If the person is still alive, you have no sense of what it means to take life – who and what you are."

"So you learn to kill with remorse?"

"Yes."

Zuko mulled over the answer for moment. "Isn't the ability to kill without remorse, a strength?"

Anger flashed in the general's golden eyes and in his voice. "No. It isn't. Only a monster, or someone like Azula, would think that!"

The young firebender was slightly taken aback by his uncle's harsh words; respect for human life was the last thing he would have thought a heavily decorated Fire Nation general would have. "So, how does not valuing human life make you vulnerable, Uncle?"

_He is not yet Ozai, _Iroh quietly remembered. He inhaled deeply and his tone became more gentle. "Well, if your human is alive, then the bond still exists. You will never have a true understanding of what you are – that is dangerous. Also an adversary can get to you, through them. By holding their fate hostage, they hold yours. The Sanguine Trial is designed to protect you from that."

Golden eyes opened wide at the implication. "Does that mean they can read your mind?"

_He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's still a good boy. _Letting out a heavy sigh, he replied._ "_No, Zuko, but they can implant ideas and images in your mind. They can't control you but they can set an effective trap for you." His nephew still looked dumbfounded, so Iroh explained further. "Think of what that means Zuko. You're Fire Lord, and someone captures your human – hypothetically speaking- and threatens to hurt them unless you do what they say - "

" - I'd still say no!" Two pale fists hit the steel floor as the angry teen glared at his uncle, then froze, as he felt a dark abyss open up in his gut once he realized that this outburst gave his secret away.. _You idiot, now he knows for sure!_

_Oh Zuko, what have you done_? The general smiled weakly, concern flooding from his strong features. "Therein lies the problem nephew – you _can't _say no."

The young man exhaled, carefully pulling all emotion from his voice. _I have to know._ "Does the bond last forever?"

Iroh gently shook his head, speaking softly, "Only until they die." The surly teen sat motionless, but the candles in front of him began to burn brighter.

Zuko sat in silence fighting with himself: _I have to tell him, but if I tell him, father will find out... Maybe there's something we can do to break the bond – other than kill the waterbender. _A pair of young shoulders slumped forward, the gravity of the situation finally hitting him. Defeated and scared, the young man looked at his uncle in the eye. "Uncle, there's something I need to tell you..."

A pale, wrinkled hand gently landed on the teen's shoulder cutting him off. Wise, golden eyes looked upon him with compassion. " Zuko...I already know"

--------

The heavens opened up, unleashing their fierce, white wrath upon the land, covering everything in a thin, icy blanket of death. The failed searchparty returned within an hour after setting out, taking refuge in their frozen forts. Families huddled together for warmth, praying in silence to the water spirits to spare them from their frigid fury; no one prayed harder than Kilana.

The soft fur tickled her nose, momentarily distracting her from reciting the Litany of La. She was trying hard to concentrate, but found it hard to do with Hakoda lying next to her. At that very moment, there was no one she hated more. _He should be out there looking for them, not here lying under soft, warm furs – he and the other oafs who call themselves men! My children – our children – are out there freezing to death! The well being of the tribe be damned! _ With a jerking motion, Kilana moved away from Hakoda. Blue eyes rimmed with unshed tears at her impotence; she shut her ears to the wind howling madly outside, anger simmering beneath her breast. Unable to take it any longer, she turned around and looked into Hakoda's hurt, blue eyes, before turning her back on him again. _Damn you Hakoda! Why couldn't you be more selfish._

"Kilana, they're my children too," his strong, voice had become a soft whisper.

_You don't act like they are!_ "I know," came her curt reply. She turned to look at him. The icy glare she gave him would have frozen a lesser man's blood.

"Kilana -"

"- Just forget it Hakoda. We'll search for their remains once the blizzard is over." Venom dripped from her lips, poisoning her husbands heart. Once again she turned her back to him, drawing blood from her lip with her teeth, to keep from sobbing. _I HATE YOU. _

A defeated man tightly shut his eyes and turned away to keep from crying. In a few days, the dark months would begin, and it was Hakoda's duty to make sure the tribe survived into the days of neverending light. He couldn't lose any of the men – even if it was for something as noble as looking for his children. As much as it killed him to call back his tribesmen from searching for his own flesh and blood, it needed to be done. _I'm sorry Kilana, but I must do my duty._

-------

A round, old, gray-haired man stepped in the room, followed by his surly nephew. "I'm glad to see you're awake. I hope you're feeling better..."

"Katara," the young girl offered.

"Katara," Iroh repeated carefully. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Katara blushed violently. "It looks like you're feeling a bit better. You gave us quite a scare back there, you know."

Brown hands rubbed her temple gently as she smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, it's just that the headache came so suddenly..." The smile fell from her lips when her eyes landed on Zuko who averted his by eyes pretending to find a rivet on the door more interesting than her.

Iroh suppressed a chuckle, "Oh, don't worry about my nephew, his bark is worse than his bite. Believe it or not, beneath that surly exterior, lies a true crown prince."

The young man would have blushed, if he had a heartbeat, but instead, he decided throwing daggers with his eyes at his uncle would be more appropriate.

"Where are your manners, Zuko, introduce yourself to the young lady-" The young man's scowl deepened. " - and escort her to the stateroom for dinner." She could have sworn the room got a few degrees warmer.

"Oh, that's okay sir, I'm not that hungry." Pale, brown cheeks were tinged with pink. She kept her eyes focused on the older man, though she could feel the young man glaring at her.

"Nonsense. A growing girl needs nourishment," Iroh smiled at her before casting a withering look at his nephew, who muttered something that sounded like _naztomakeyeraquaintance. _Katara looked at him with a smirk and proceeded to introduce herself wondering how he could possibly hear her over the grinding of his teeth.

"Please join us for dinner in the stateroom." Iroh turned to Katara with a disarming look of warmth radiating from his eyes, " Your brother is already there, helping himself to some roasted duck and miso soup." The old man turned to leave so she was faced with the sulking prince's pouting, while he reluctantly thrust out his arm for her to take. She shyly placed her arm in his and pretended not to notice his displeasure.

They walked down long, dark corridors, lighted by a glowing flame coming from the prince's palm. As hard as she tried, she could not stop herself from looking at his hand. Zuko was becoming increasingly self conscious, with every step they could until he could bear it no more.

"What are you staring at!" He screamed as he turned around to glower at the shrinking waterbender. The frightened expression on her face made him feel a little nauseated, but nothing compared to what happened next: as they stood in complete silence, he could hear the violent tattoo of her heart, then much to his horror, he began to feel its faint echo in his own chest.

He stared at the little waterbender in absolute terror, fighting the urge to run into the blizzard and disappear forever. In the back of his mind he could hear his uncle's voice saying_, "Sometimes, you feel their very heart beat within your chest...you learn to be human – through them." _He looked back at Katara: she was no longer cowering; instead she was glaring at him, blue eyes reflecting the fury within. A sudden urge to scream, "Your ugly face!" nearly overcame him as he backed into a wall. Golden eyes grew wide in shock as those same words flew out of her lips.

Bile rose to his throat. _No! _he thought in despair, _ I refuse to go through life like this. Uncle said the bond broke with their death... I could do it...there's no water and she's still weak..._but the very thought of seriously hurting the girl, made him even more sick.A gentle tapping brought his attention back to the waterbender, who was no longer glaring at him. She studied him closely, with her head tilted to the side. It was almost comical, and it made Zuko feel ridiculous that he was frightened by a someone so small. His body relaxed enough for him to gain his composure. Pale lips formed a line as he offered his arm to Katara. Blue eyes looked at him questioningly before quietly accepting.

------------

During dinner Katara tried not to stare at her hosts, forcing herself to look into her soup bowl. Occasionally she glanced over at Sokka who was too busy shoveling shrimp dumplings into his mouth, and talking to Iroh with his mouth full, to notice anyone else's eating habits. She also noticed that the young boy who had carried her up the brow did not eat; instead he stared into his goblet as if transfixed by it.

Blue eyes met gold and for an instant both children felt like the world had stopped all around them. A faint beating, sounded in his ears as he looked away in anger. Unconsciously he brought the goblet to his lips. The thick, warm liquid trickled down his throat. _Why is she looking at me; does she know what happened? _ Questions popped into his head faster than he could verbalize them, but were immediately forgotten the instant their eyes met. Their serenity frightened him. _What if she knows?_

Katara had never seen anyone quite like him. He was a no more than a year older than Sokka, she guessed, but much taller and far more conceited, if that was possible. Still, he was quite handsome. His skin was as white as the fresh, fallen snow and his hair as black as the deep ocean on a moonless night. His eyes were golden and bright like the rays of the yellow sun, reflected off of the snow drifts. The heavy, red silk robes he wore, only made his skin look that much lighter. Several times during the meal, their eyes met, but he always seemed to look away with displeasure, which was beginning to irritate her. _Sokka and I may not be royalty, but that's no reason to not want to eat with us, _she thought with indignation.

"I'll show you to your rooms now" The old general practically hopped out of his chair beckoning to the Water Tribe children once their meal ended.

"But Sir, we have to go home." Katara stammered.

"Not in this weather." Iroh's eyes looked grave as he shook his head.

"But our parents -" the siblings cried out in unison.

" - Your parents are probably not looking for you in the middle of a blizzard." The old man's voice was gentle, but commanding. "In the morning, I will personally escort you back to your village. But until then, you must remain in your rooms, do you understand?"

Katara and Sokka quietly nodded.

"Good. If you need anything during the night, ring this bell – do not leave this room – or open the door for anyone unless its Zuko or me. It's for your safety." The Water Tribe children looked perplexed, but Sokka took the golden bell from an extended, pale hand. Katara cast a furtive glance at Zuko, who avoided her eyes.

Ring. Ring. Ring. All eyes were on Sokka.

"Sokka, stop ringing that bell!" Katara hissed at her brother.

"What? I'm just making sure it works." Sokka grinned broadly as he rang it again. Iroh smiled politely and Zuko rolled his eyes to the back of his head.

"Sokka, I mean it. That sound is annoying." Katara could feel her color rising.

"We have to be sure Katara. Remember, safety first – Ow!"

"I said that's enough Sokka! Say goodnight now." Small brown hands tightly wrapped themselves around the pony tail on top of his head and pulled mercilessly.

"Goodnight! Ow Katara, that really hurts!" The young man whined in a cracking voice.

Iroh let out a hearty chuckle. Zuko just stared at the dueling siblings and felt a strange pang. In a way he was reminded of Azula and all that he had left back home and he wondered if coming with his uncle had been the right choice. _Father wants me here, and here I shall be. _A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he looked at Katara one last time before she closed the door. _Goodnight._

Six Komodo rhinos dragged their massive bodies through the interminable, frozen wasteland before them, leaving only narrow trenches as proof of their journey. Bitter, arctic gales burned human, animal and vampire flesh alike. The only respite from the cold came from the body heat shared between riders and beasts, which in the case of the vampires, went only in one direction.

It was this way that Iroh and his entourage chose to travel since slow-moving beasts were better ambasadors of good-will than metal tanks. The Southern Water Tribe, was after all currently neutral, and they wanted to keep it that way. The war was going badly for the Fire Nation, and the less help their enemies had, the better – even if it was from backwards peasants.

"How far would you say we are from your village," the portly general turned to ask the child clinging to him for dear life who remained silent for a few moments.

"Hmmmm..." a little brown forehead furrowed. "My warrior instincts tell me it's just over those drifts up ahead." Blue eyes squinted, nodding violently when he caught sight of a blue figure in the distance. "Yup, definitely up ahead."

Katara scowled at her brother. He seemed so proud of himself. _Where were your stupid warrior instincts yesterday Sokka? _she wanted to yell at her brother, but changed her mind when the rider of her beast scoffed at the Water Tribe boy.

"Is there a problem?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Zuko heard it loud and clear. Through his five layers of clothes, he could feel the small body behind him, sit up straight, as if preparing for a fight, and tried not to let his eyes roll to the back of his head.

"No," he lied. But really there was a problem. A great big one. He had heard her thoughts – every single one – and it didn't seem to be getting any better. His uncle had already told him what he could expect, though how he knew exactly was never discussed, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. As long as no one else knew, everything would remain the same.

She seemed a little surprised thathe heard her, but it was all forgotten the minute she caught sight of her father's figure. "Daddy!"

Ephemeral beats echoed in his chest and he almost smiled at the feeling. In all of his years, he had never felt this way when greeting anyone – even his own mother. _Maybe this bond thing won't be so bad after all, _he thought to himself as he saw the little Waterbender fly off his rhino to meet her dad.

88

"Sokka, Katara!" Blue eyes were wide in disbelief. Hakoda looked like he had just seen the walking dead, without realizing he literally had.

"Kilana, come out here. The kids are back." The father hysterically called into the tent. Within seconds, a woman flew out, practically lighting up the dark morning with her beaming smile.

"Katara, Sokka!" She screamed as she ran towards her children, who ran up to meet her, picking them up in a tight embrace. "You had me worried sick. Never, ever do that again you understand. The whole village went looking for you and..." The rambling mother stopped in mid sentence when she noticed the old general and his foreign looking entourage. A coil formed in her gut as she glared distrustfully at him.

"Children, who is this?" The woman asked as she pushed Sokka and Katara behind her, turning to look at her husband who was already walking towards the strange men.

Kilana invited the party inside the tent for some hot sea prune sake, which Iroh graciously accepted, speeding things along by warming the sake pot in the palm of his hand. The wife squealed with delight, embarassing the old general just a little bit. The adults sat around the bear rug while the children found themselves ostracized to some dark corner of the tent.

Iroh explained to Hakoda and Kilana the reason why he was returning their children to them. He spared no detail in doing so, and was not sure why he saw Hakoda's fists and jaw clench and all color drain from Kilana's face. By the time he was done, the once cheerful Water Tribe matron, now looked pale and hopeless, as though she was just issued a death sentence.

Hakoda coolly asked the teenager's uncle if he wanted to see the chief to explain the reason for his visit, callously ignoring his wife's supplications. Iroh was certain he had done something wrong, but accepted his hosts invitation to see Chief Sangook. He asked Zuko to stay in the tent for a while, and as he walked out he took one last look inside and caught Kilana's desperate blue eyes. Her beautiful face was stained with quiet tears, her eyes begging him for something he didn't quite understand until she looked back at her daughter and shook her head. A cold chill ran down Iroh's body as he hoped he had misunderstood the situation. He opened his mouth to say something, but a large gloved hand tapped him gently on the shoulder asking him to follow.

In a darker corner of the tent, Sokka and Katara sat in silence facing Prince Zuko, which made the already naturally awkward teen, even more self conscious.

"Soooo," Sokka squeaked as he ran his hand over his budding wolf-tail, as if making sure it still there. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen." He barely spoke above a hushed whisper, trying to ignore Katara who was staring at her mother in horror. _Dad knows!_ kept echoing hysterically inside his head.

"I'm eleven – almost twelve. I'll go ice dodging next year, when I begin my warrior training." Sokka beamed, but the prince seemed genuinely uninterested, which hurt the proto-warrior's feelings a bit.

Zuko cast furtive glances in Katara's direction, hoping to catch her eye, but she continued to stare at her mother, the beating in her chest growing more frantic with every passing minute. _What's wrong? Who don't you want to know? H_e wanted to scream at her, to grab her by the shoulders and shake her – to have her do anything other than what she was doing right now. Unable to stand much more of her simpering, he got up, drawing her eyes to him. For a moment their eyes met and he suddenly wished they hadn't.

Clear blue eyes, stared back at him and he heard her voice whisper in his head, _He's going to kill me..._ _I'm going to die..._

"Who's going to kill you?" He yelled at her in complete frustration, which only made the little girl sob harder.

"Who's going to kill whom now?" Sokka asked as his eyes moved between Zuko and Katara.

"I don't know!" Zuko bit back defensively, throwing his arms into the air in complete panic. The situation would have escalated completely out of control if Kilana had not gotten an emotional hold of herself and intervened.

"No one is going to kill anyone today." She said in the most condfident voice she could muster though she didn't believe it. "Sokka, take Prince Zuko to the lodge where your daddy and grandad are." Sokka jumped to his feet and signaled to Zuko to follow him. Scowling, he followed Sokka out of the tent without bothering to say goodbye.

"Katara honey, don't worry, we'll figure something out." Was the last thing he heard the heartbroken mother say to her inconsolable child.

-----

On a thick, warm, rein-elk pelt, Iroh sat cross legged in front of a cooking fire, a teapot whistling was the only sound. Zuko was fast asleep, curled into a little ball in a corner; his back to the fire. The old general's quiet moment was interrupted by light footsteps outside the tent. Almost as if by instinct, Iroh flew out to meet his guest nearly falling into her in his zeal. Quickly, both adults regained their composure.

"Genereal Iroh, I need to speak with you about a serious matter – one involving Katara." Her voice quivered a bit and she cursed herself for not having more control of her emotions.

Iroh looked into her deep blue eyes and felt a strange pang in his unbeating heart. He could tell she had been crying - probably for hours – and that it was related to his conversation with her husband earlier in the day. "What can I do for you, my dear?"

"I want you to take Katara with you." Her voice was quiet but strong.

"I can't do that! We're heading to a war zone – it's not safe!"

"You're taking your nephew and he's not much older than Katara – please, I'm begging you...just get her out of here."

Golden eyes stared into blue in disbelief. "Why would you want tha lifestyle for your daughter?"

"It's not like I want it, but she can't stay here – you've made it so that she can no longer live here." Kilana's glare froze Iroh's blood. "Yes, you heard me, she's going to die – because of you!" Her poisonous words found their mark, and she smiled inwardly at their effect.

Iroh shook his head slowly. "I don't understand."

"I know you know our nation once boasted the most powerful waterbenders in the world before our war. We used to have magnificent structures – now we have nothing. Ask yourself why."

"There was a war – with whom?" Iroh seemed a little embarassed at his lack of knowledge.

"Waterbenders." She knew it was a half truth, the whole truth being _undead_ waterbenders, but it made her point as the general's features grew grave upon hearing that bit of information. "Hakoda – Katara's father - is in charge of cleansing the tribe of waterbenders."

Although his face remained a mask of impassiveness, Iroh suddenly felt as though a great chasm had opened before him ready to take him to the spirit realm. "I see," was all he could will himself to say. He looked into her eyes, losing himself to his memories as he fingered a small necklace he had in his sleeve. "I can't take her with me, Kilana" he shook his head, "But I will offer you some assistance. Give her this necklace – tell her it's an old family heirloom from your side of the family." A cold, wrinkled hand carefully deposited an intricately carved necklace into a pair of warm, gloved hands. "Put it on her and don't let her lose it. It was my beloved's and is now her's. I will use it to find her in case you are not around – for whatever reason."

Kilana stared at the trinket, eyes going wide when she saw what it truly was. "You can't be serious!" She practically stammered. "This is...this is a – "

"- Betrothal necklace." The old man's face was inscrutable until he let out a long sigh. "It belonged to my beloved." Kilana looked like she was about to say something, but Iroh raised his hand to silence her. "I would know this necklace anywhere, but not necessarily your daughter. Please don't think I am offering her marriage. I just want a sure way to know who she is if you two get separated."

The woman slowly nodded as she tightly wrapped her hand around the necklace. Blue eyes never left his face. "Thank you, but I don't see how this necklace will keep my husband from carrying out his duty."

"Leave that to me my dear." Kilana wanted to object, but there was something about the old man's countenance that gave her peace. "Chief Sangook does not know about Katara – only you, your husband and my crew. I'll make sure to keep it that way, just wait until morning."

Kilana bowed deeply to the general before leaving. As Iroh returned inside his tent, two startled golden eyes looked straight at his uncle.

"What are you going to do?"

That same night Katara heard her parents arguing inside the tent next door. They were talking about her, but she couldn't make out the details. She tried waking Sokka, since he was always better at making out mumbles, but he slept like he was dead. Slowly, the little girl inched her way towards the side closest to her parents, but stopped halfway when she heard her mother leave the tent in a huff. Katara dove into her sleeping area, pulling the furs over her head as she trid to slow down her breathing. She felt her mother snuggle close to her and kiss her on the head. _Everything will be alright, _she whispered into her daughter's ear. In silence, Katara waited for her father to come in, but he never did. That night, their father did not sleep on the same fur as their mother, and she wondered why. For some reason, she couldn't help but think that maybe her waterbending had something to do with it.

Kilana awkoe before the sun had risen, combed her hair and changed into a clean parka. She gently patted the two bundles snoring softly under the fur covers, making her way out of the tent only when she was sure neither would get up to follow her. Hakoda had been furious with her the night before. He had accused her of deceiving him in the worst possible way and confirmed her worst suspicions about his intentions towards their daughter. Whatever love, whatever loyalty she had felt for her husband was gone. She would do anything to save Katara – anything – even the unspeakable.

Her heart was full of courage as she stopped outside Iroh's tent ready for whatever help he had to offer her. _Breathe Kilana, it may all be over soon enough, _she reassured herself. _No matter what happens, Katara will be alright._ She blew into her hands to warm them up, jumping at the sound of Iroh clearing his throat.

"You're up early my dear." Iroh smiled weakly pointing at the dark sky.

"I couldn't sleep. I spoke to Hakoda..." her voice broke like glass, rendering her incapable of finishing her sentence. She didn't need to – the old general understood.

The portly old man held out a small wooden box in one hand and a miniscule glass vial in the other. "Take this tea," he said pointing to the box, "and brew one cup for Katara and another for Hakoda. In each cup you will add one drop – you hear me – just one drop of what's in this vial. Anymore and you will end up poisoning the ones you love. Once they've had the tea - "

The mother felt her heart jump in her chest. " - What's the tea supposed to do?" She interrupted without thinking.

Iroh looked a little annoyed, sighing louder than he needed to. "Once they've had the tea, you will need to tell them to forget ever having met me."

"Why does Katara have to take the poison?" Her face felt hot as she eyed the items in the general's hands with a little more suspicion.

"It's not poison per se." The old man furrowed his brow. "For her safety and Hakoda's, it's best if they never remember seeing us."

"What happens if they remember? What if they _can't_ forget you?" Kilana bit her lip as she reached for the vial and the tea.

"Repeat the process until they do. They can only drink one drop each time and can not have more than one cup of tea a day. Any more, and the consequences could be fatal." Golden eyes narrowed and bored into blue. "You must understand the importance of the danger of doing this."

The worried wife looked at the items in her hand. "Is there any other way?"

"No, not really. I will return in six months time and take your daughter to an abbey in the Fire Nation. She will be safe there." His tone was commanding leaving little room for argument.

"But if Hakoda doesn't remember, she can stay." Kilana argued in her most authoritative voice.

Iroh shook his head. "He'll remember sooner or later. This just buys us some time."

A deep pit opened in the blue-eyed woman's stomach. "I see. So I lose her either way."

"So it would seem." Wise, golden eyes softened a bit as he looked into her sad blue eyes. "I'll take good care of her, I promise."

Kilana nodded and thanked Iroh, before heading back to her tent.

Inside his own tent Iroh saw his nephew was sitting in a meditative position. "I see you're up Zuko."

Zuko simply nodded, not even bothering to open his eyes. "Then you'll surely know what Katara's mother and I have discussed."

The young man remained still, pretending not to hear his uncle, though he felt his anger about to boil over.

"It's for the best, nephew. If she's in the abbey -"

"She won't remember anything uncle! You're taking her memory from her – against her will! That isn't right." Golden eyes burned with anger as he stared his uncle down.

"Calm down Zuko. She'll remember sooner or later, and she won't forget you – not really." The last statement had its intended effect.

"I just don't want to..." He couldn't finish because he didn't know what to say. Ever since he bonded with the little waterbender, everything had become confusing. He no longer knew where he ended and she started. But as frustrating as the entire situation felt, the thought of losing that bond altogether was far worse. Vampires were quiet, boring creatures with shallow emotions. Their hearts never raced, their blood didn't run through their veins, even their lungs didn't really work involunatarily. They were dead inside and out. To have a connection to someone – no matter how small or annoying – brought life. He could sometimes feel her very heart beat in his chest and knew what she was about to say before she did, freaking her out to no end. But most of all, he thought he understood what humans meant by love. What she had felt upon seeing her father – that fluttering of the heart – he had never felt before, and part of him longed to feel again.

"I know Zuko," his uncle said soothingly as he knelt beside him and smiled. "Have a cup of tea."

The Fire Nation visitors did not stay more than three days, leaving almost immediately after informing Katara's grandfather of their military actions in South Pole waters. The Southern Water tribe had little choice but to acquiesce. They were no match for the Fire Nation, and were glad the fire lord regarded them well enough to send an envoy. What Chief Sangook did not know, was that the Dragon of the West had acted of his own accord, out of diplomacy, something Fire Lord Ozai, did not seem to understand.

The Southern Water Tribe, could not really demand that the Fire Nation exit its waters. While their warriors were fierce, there weren't enough of them, or boats for that matter, to coerce the Fire Nation to leave South Pole waters, so Chief Sangook had little choice but to save face by acquiescing. In exchange for this trespass, Iroh offered the South Pole protection from Air Nomad attacks and several sacks of a rare jasmine tea. The aging chief smiled, knowing full well this was an empty promise, since the aggressor in this war had been the Fire Nation, but was glad for the tea.

The day after the Fire Nation ship had sailed, Hakoda came down with a raging fever and was vomiting violently. Kilana lovingly cared for her husband, and summoned the village healer in hopes of making him better. Sokka and Katara were scared. They had never seen their father ill before. Sokka tried to help around the house by taking over his father's chores and Katara made most of the meals and tent repairs. By pulling together, they would see their father through.

In a few days their father was better, but he seemed to act a little differently. His head and arms seemed to spasm involuntarily and his speech was a little slurred. He seemed to remember perfectly well who he was, and in a week resumed all normal activities; but something was still off. From time to time Hakoda would start hallucinating or forget where he was. People around him thought this would pass and were patient with his ever increasing erratic behavior. After all, they needed to show some respect, since this man would once day become their chief when Sangook died.

Kilana counted the months, hoping General Iroh would make good on his promise to return for Katara, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to live in such a small village. People were now whispering that his slurred speech and erratic behavior were because she was poisoning her husband with an unknown substance to cover an affair with Bato. They even said Katara was in on it, waiting for her father to die so that she could marry Kinto and make him the new chief. How else was that betrothal necklace to be explained?

Time after time the frustrated wife tried talking sense into her kinsfolk, but they would not listen. The stories they told were better at whittling away the hours infront of a fire than whatever "truth" Kilana would tell them. As the months went by she noticed her husband's memory was getting worse and his behavior was becoming even more random. Whatever anger and resentment she had felt for him melted away as his condition deteriorated, leaving the core of her love for him to shine bright in her heart. The love of her life had returned to her – but at a tremendous cost.

As the Winter Solstice celebration approached, Hakoda went out with other tribe's men to catch some fish when he began to act strangely. He took off all of his clothes and jumped into the freezing waters. The other men tried to pull him out, but by the time they got to him, it was already too late. Kilana mourned the loss of the love of her life and her children were devastated. None the less, people continued to whisper. Soon the whispers became vicious rumors, which in turn were treated as fact, and The young wife's life became impossible. Everyone blamed her for Hakoda's death, claiming she had poisoned him, though no one could ever prove anything.

Unable and unwilling to wait another month for the general, Kilana and her children packed their belongings taking the next trade ship out of the South Pole. She had given Iroh six months and a day for him to keep his promise to her, but would wait no longer. If only she had waited one more day, she would have seen Iroh's ship arrived with the morning sun. A bad bout of food poisoning had delayed his ship two days, which he cursed the minute he learned of Hakoda's untimely demise, followed by Kilana's move. In his heart, Iroh knew he would see that family again and decided to use that port call to shop for whatever goods the South Pole had to offer, which sadly were little more than seal jerky and parka's which were one size too small.


	3. Leaving Ba Sing Se

Besides making Jet's acquaintance, the only good thing about the move in Katara's mind, was that bending was not forbidden in the Earth Kingdom. She was free to play in whichever puddle of water she chose, the only consequences being her mother hissing at her to stop making a mess of herself. It even came in handy when her mother decided to open a flower stand. Via trial and error, Katara slowly learned how to freeze water, and force it to flow into the flowers stems. It was hard work, but the Waterbender realized, just how happy being able to Waterbend, made her.

Jet was a dark-brown haired boy who was charming and outgoing, with a warm, gentle smile always resting on his lips. His familiar manner made Katara comfortable around him and their constant exploration of the city soon filled it with many pleasant memories that helped her accept it as her new home. Sokka liked Jet too, though sometimes he thought of him as a corrupting influence on Katara. This was never truer than when the cabbage merchant brought them back home by the ears, demanding payment for his damaged goods. These little escapades would always earn Katara an extra weekend shift at the flower stand her mother owned, but it didn't curb her desire to associate with Jet in the least bit.

Slowly but surely Kilana's flower stand became more popular until it was frequented by people in the upper tier of Ba Sing Se. Her flowers were always the prettiest and the freshest, staying alive the longest. Whenever customers asked her how she did it, she would smile and say it was Water Tribe magic. What she never told them was that her daughter would bend water into ice and the flowers were always kept at a cool temperature, prolonging their life.

Their living conditions were limited. Even though Kilana's flower stand was rather profitable, when the times were lean, people would cut out the unessential items, like flowers, putting them through difficult economic times. This was only made worse by Kilana's decision to hire private tutors for her children, which took up a large portion of her income. But as refugees, her children's prospects for a bright future were very dim. The only chance they had of escaping the poverty she had inflicted on them by moving them to Ba Sing Se, was to get them the best education possible and hope they entered the Royal Academy.

--------------------

Kilana had a soft spot for Jet, who was an orphan and generally a good boy, though a bit mischievous. The first year after they moved to Ba Sing Se, Katara, Jet and Sokka became inseparable. Katara's mother even began to think of him as an adoptive son, since he was always at their flower stand or apartment. She treated him like one of her own and slowly, Jet began to see her as a mother as well. Over the next two years Kilana even went as far as to hire a private tutor for Jet, but soon discovered, he did not have the discipline or interest in academics that her children had. He was however, extremely adroit in physical disciplines such as martial arts. After much discussion with Jet, Kilana decided to pay for martial arts lessons for Jet, to facilitate his getting a commission in the Earth Kingdom Army, as an officer. This career option would provide stability and security for him and his family, for the rest of their lives.

There were many reasons, Kilana was Jet's matron, but the main one came from the partiality she saw Katara had for him. Jet seemed to like her too, and it reminded her of how her parents had taken Hakoda under their wing, because he was an orphan she happened to like. She wanted Katara to marry for love, but she also didn't want her to marry someone who didn't have the means to support a family. And she would do everything in her power to make her daughter happy. It was the least she could do after subjecting her to a life without a father.

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Life was hectic for Katara and her family. Between working the flower stand, keeping up with grueling lessons and finding time to practice her Waterbending, it was no wonder they all lost track of time. Two years flew by, and before she knew it, Katara began to see Jet as more than a friend, often blushing whenever he came near her, not noticing that Jet also faintly blushed whenever she stood next to him or touched him.

However, one person who did notice the blue eyed girl's odd behavior around Jet, was Sokka. As much as he loved his best friend, he didn't like the prospect of that match one little bit. Jet was nice and all, but he did seem to have a wondering eye when it came to girls and he could be undisciplined, spiteful, bigoted and vindictive, at times. Katara deserved someone better; someone who was loyal and loving but also fiercely protective, someone like their dad. So, in his infinite wisdom Sokka decided to do the best thing he knew to do: get Jet and himself some girlfriends.

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After the death of his beloved son, Lu Ten, Iroh began to treat Prince Zuko as his surrogate son taking him on his campaign against the Air Nomads to teach him the art of war. His wise uncle always kept him away from the heavy fighting, in an effort to teach him the value of human life. War was the last place Zuko would have expected to learn this, but amazingly enough it did more for him than all of his years studying philosophy and war strategy in his father's palace. The constant smell of panic, fear and blood, did much to teach the young prince respect for humans and self restraint in terms of feeding.

Iroh was both proud and pleased with Zuko's eagerness to learn everything and anything that was required for him to be the next Fire Lord. Compassion was a lesson seldom taught in the Fire Nation court, which is why the old general felt the Fire Nation was embroiled in wars for most of its history. In his heart, Iroh hoped, Zuko would be the kind and compassionate ruler, the Fire Nation had never had. Under his nephew's leadership, he hoped the world would be a more peaceful and prosperous place.

Zuko liked to watch the moonrise from the deck of the ship. By nightfall, the most vicious fighting had stopped and the smells of humanity had died down. He enjoyed this time to himself. Often he would let his mind wander, finding himself thinking about home. More than anything he wanted to return, but he knew it was in his best interest to learn as much as possible from his uncle. After all, his uncle was at one point Fire Lord, but abdicated in favor of his brother for some unknown reason.

Every once in a while though, usually whenever he caught himself dozing in the moonlight, he would awaken to a faint, sweet smell, that reminded him of someone he couldn't remember. But as soon as he inhaled the fragrance, it seemed to disappear. No one else seemed to smell anything other than the salty sea breeze or the scent of sweaty sailors, so he stopped bringing it up every time he encountered it. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't seem to matter.

-----------------------

Katara didn't like what she felt when Jet made himself a girlfriend by the name of Jun. That she was taller and better developed than she was, only added fuel to her insecurities. Why did he have to go and date an older woman? She couldn't possibly compete with the five years of development Jun had on her! For the first time in her life, Katara thought she felt her heart break. Having no one else to turn to, since Sokka was too busy making googly eyes at his Kyoshian girlfriend, she told her mother, who advised her to focus on her studies and give Jet some time to come to realize just how special she was.

As the months passed, Katara came to terms with Jun and Jet's relationship. It was difficult at first, but the humiliating thought of Sokka being admitted to the Royal Academy of Scientific, Military and Bureaucratic Arts while she was rejected, was enough to make her move on. Eighteen months from now, Katara would have to present an entrance exam to the most prestigious school in the whole Earth Kingdom. If she wanted to attend, all the anguish and anger she felt at seeing the person she cared for spend time with someone else, needed to be channeled into her academics.

This school's entrance exams were legendary. Less than two out of a hundred students that took the exam, would pass. Being a refugee was also a strike against her gaining admission, but she hoped to score so well on the exam, to make her nationality not matter. Sokka had already presented his exams and was awaiting news on his acceptance. Of the two, he was always the most resourceful and charismatic. If he got in, it would come as no surprise to anyone.

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Jet noticed Katara's treatment of him had become a little distant when he started dating Jun. Unsure of why Katara was acting so strangely, he asked Sokka for advice, but was told not to pry. She was a wonderful girl, but in many ways, too much like a little sister for him to feel anything other than brotherly affection towards her. It didn't help that Sokka was always reminding him of that fact. It almost seemed like his blue-eyed guy friend wanted to reinforce the platonic nature of his relationship to Katara.

When Jun broke up with him to follow in her father's bounty hunting footsteps, Jet was left to ponder the nature of his relationship with his best friend's sister. For almost two years he had dated Jun, never thinking of the blue-eyed maiden as anything other than a sister. But now that all outside influences were removed, he started to see her as something more. Secretly he wondered if Katara felt the same way about him.

Jun was beautiful, but hard and calculating, something that gradually wore on him. Katara was not only pretty, she was gentle and kind as well – just the person to help heal the wounds Jun had left wide open. Despite noticing that their friendship grew colder the closer he got to Jun, she had always been a soft shoulder for him to cry on whenever things with his girlfriend got out of hand, as they often did.

Clearly he remembered the first time he had seen Jun cuddling with an Earth Kingdom soldier under a dark and menacing sky. Jet had shown up at her work a little early to walk her home in case the storm broke, only to find her in capable hands. Instead of confronting the soldier, who was clearly older and stronger, he ran back to Sokka's apartment hiding his tears of heartbreak in the downpour, surprised to find Katara buried under a pile of scrolls, reading. She let him in and used her bending to dry him as his feelings poured out of his mouth. Saying nothing, she placed a delicate brown hand on his shoulder, making him fall into her deep blue eyes, almost erasing the pain Jun had caused him. When she smiled at him, everything felt right again.

All Jet needed was the opportunity to get close to Katara without arousing Sokka's or Kilana's suspicions. His matron's attitude towards him had changed when he started dating Jun, because his studies in the martial arts had slackened. Two exam cycles had passed him by, much to Katara's mother's frustration. She wanted Jet to obtain his commission and begin his career as an officer, before he got too old, but he had other priorities. The disappointment he felt at letting Kilana down was numbed by Jun, but now that she out of the picture, he would get his life back on track, making her proud of him again.

It was just a matter of biding his time. Soon, he would find out if his Water Tribe friend would be leaving Ba Sing Se's lower tier for a long time. With Sokka gone, catching Katara's interest would be easy. Regaining Kilana's confidence in him however, would take longer, but he was sure that if he applied himself to his studies, he would be in her good graces again.

--------------------

Sokka had always excelled in both math and science and had recently entered the Academy, which was no small feat for a refugee. Most Academy students were from the upper tiers and were following in their parents' civil service footsteps. All Academy graduates had the option of entering civil service, guaranteeing them cushy jobs for life. Kilana was very proud of Sokka and wanted a similar future for Katara, who did not want to disappoint her mother. She excelled in all of the subjects taught by her tutor even though a lifetime of civil service was unpalatable to her.

The thought of working in indoors all day, away from ocean, seemed more like punishment than a reward, but marrying and starting a family so soon, seemed like a waste after her mother's investment in her education. Kilana had sacrificed so much to make sure Katara could have an education and move ahead in life, and she would not throw it all away by settling down anytime soon. Besides, there was no one she was interested in other than Jet, and the two years he had spent with Jun, really confused her feelings towards him.

Part of her still cared for him as more than a friend, but if she did attend the Academy like Sokka, then she would not have time for him. Jet was a nice guy, but he did have certain flaws that were somewhat of a turn-off. Perhaps she would meet someone she liked better at the Academy, if she got in of course. She was still young and wanted to keep herself free of all emotional entanglements – at least for the time being.

When Jet started frequenting the stand and visiting their home, after Sokka's departure, Katara's confusion worsened. She liked the attention she received from Jet, but at times it was overbearing and asphyxiating. Almost every weekend he would try to get her to do some activity with him and almost always she declined, using the coming exam as an excuse to stay home and study. As much as it might have hurt to turn Jet away, it would hurt ten times more if he became a boyfriend she would have to leave behind.

----------------------

It had been six months since Sokka's departure and Katara was still adjusting to his absence. Never had she realized how close she had been to her brother until he had left. His letters always told her he was doing well in school and that he had made a lot of friends but they always betrayed a hint of worry and sadness. Initially she received a letter from him every other week but as his workload at school picked up, the frequency of his letters dropped off.

Katara would always write back telling him that she and mom were fine, the flower-stand was still in one piece, and that she missed him a lot. He would occasionally ask about his friends, but since Sokka had left, only Jet and Suki had come to visit them. Suki's visits were short and fun, while Jet's visits were always long, awkward and sometimes boring. Still, it was nice to see them, though most encounters with Jet had turned uncomfortable since he broke up with Jun. It was obvious he also felt awkward around her and it saddened her that he had lost his mysterious aloofness. Every time he came near her, he blushed unable to hold her gaze. Sometimes, she wished he just wouldn't visit.

Trying hard to ignore her feelings and his efforts, she kept herself busy by studying particularly hard at her lessons. Her tutor had practically doubled her workload and was relentless in her drilling. In two months it would be time to take the entrance exams for the Academy and Katara was nervous. She wanted to receive admission, not so much for her, but for her mother. Her mom had sacrificed so much to give them this opportunity and Katara wanted to live up to her mother's expectations. She didn't know if Sokka's being a student there would help or hinder her admission, but she would do everything in her power to be highest scorer on the test.

The flower shop was doing well enough. Her mother was working harder than usual, since Katara was busy preparing for her exams and Sokka was gone, and considered hiring someone to help her full time. She had discussed this with Katara and she had suggested hiring Suki, which her mother did not think was a bad idea.

---------------------

Sokka had an easy time adjusting to his new surroundings. He was naturally friendly and outgoing and his intelligence made a positive impression on his instructors. His open manner had gained him many friends. He missed his family but he did not succumb to the depression that many of his peers experienced at being away from their families for the first time.

He liked and did quite well in all of his classes but his favorite by far was Military Science. He seemed to have a natural ability for thinking strategically and one day after class his instructor had told him that his natural charisma would take him far in the military, if he ever chose to join. Sokka was genuinely flattered though he told him he preferred the stability of civilian life.

All things considered, these six months had gone quite well. He was halfway done with his first year, had the highest scores in his class group and hopefully would soon have his sister join him. He did miss his mom, but once Katara was accepted to the Academy, he hoped with all of his heart, his mom would no longer have to support either of them. One of the benefits of gaining admission in to this school was that tuition, room, board and small stipend, were all paid by the Earth Kingdom, with the understanding that the students would then engage in eight years of service to their king.

----------------------

The test day had finally arrived and Katara was very nervous. She had to travel to the upper ring take the test and she had to make sure she had all of her paperwork on her. The last thing she wanted was to miss her test because she did not have her transit papers with her. It early enough that the sun had not yet some out. Her mother had woken her up very early and they drank some jasmine tea and ate some rice cakes before they walked over to the train station. They had passed a couple of Dai Li agents on the way that had eyed them curiously, but said nothing.

They walked past a fairly dark corner and she swallowed hard, walking faster. Ba Sing Se's lower tiers were not the safest at even with the Dai Li patrolling constantly. "At least there are other people on the street," Katara thought with some relief. She was worried that her mother would be walking back home by herself while it was still dark out.

Once at the train station, Kilana kissed Katara on the cheek and wished her luck as she hugged her. Katara kissed her mother back on the forehead. As she walked toward the station, she turned around to wave at her mother and smiled. Today, she would make her mother proud.

--------------------------

Sokka was up earlier than usual. Katara would be arriving today to take the entrance exam and Sokka wanted to meet her. Maybe they would be able to have lunch after her exams were over. He walked over to the gate and sat down with a scroll of paper. He could do some homework assignments while he waited for Katara to arrive. Already there was a line forming on the other side of the gate but he did not see Katara. Sokka looked out at all the hopeful applicants and noticed there were hardly any males. "This is going to be the best year group ever!" Sokka thought to himself with a wicked smile.

He had almost finished with his homework when he saw a figure dressed in blue robes stand out against the crowded lines. Sokka squinted and confirmed it was his sister. Getting up and walking over to the gate, he called out for her. She waved back and ran to him. The siblings talked until it was time for him to go to class. They would meet by the statue of Buki the badger-mole school mascot, to catch up.

--------------------------

This was the first time Sokka could not wait for his Military Science class to be over. He had been unable to focus on the badger-mole strategy Professor Shu was explaining and only hoped it would not appear on the final. There were so many things he wanted to show Katara. The Royal Academy had a fantastic library and he wanted to show her the extensive section on both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. A lot of his free time was spent learning about the South Pole and their customs. He was particularly eager to show her the collection of water bending scrolls he had found.

Although he considered Waterbending a dark and cursed art, the illustrations were beautiful and he wanted Katara to see them. As soon as class ended, he bolted through the door at a full sprint. Nothing would please him more than to have his little sister attend the Academy with him. Katara was intelligent leaving him no doubt that she would do well on the test, he just hoped she would not panic and ruin her interview. He was relieved to see her waiting for him by the statue.

The Water Tribe maiden seemed cheerful. She felt she had done well on both the exam and interview, noting how impressed the interviewer seemed with her knowledge of the sciences. They had a wonderful lunch and nice walk around the school. Katara was flabbergasted by the size of the campus and how immaculately the courtyards were kept, nothing like the lower tiers of Ba Sing Se. But she was unprepared for the magnificent library she encountered. She was smitten by the comprehensive section of the Water Tribes and tried hiding her enthusiastic interest for the water bending scrolls. Suddenly, Katara did want to attend the Academy and wished with all her heart to be admitted.

On the train ride back to the lower tiers, Katara did nothing but pray to Tui and La for admittance into the Royal Academy. Finally, after all these years, she would learn to Waterbend. No longer would their mother have to live in the lower tiers, they would be able to move her into the middle ring where it was safer. Opening a shop there would be easy since half of their flower stand's clientele was from the middle and upper rings anyway. The future was looking up for them. If only she could join Sokka at the Academy, everything would be perfect.

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For almost two years now, Zuko had been sleeping onboard the boat alongside his uncle. His memories of home had almost become a distant memory. Returning home was important to the prince, but his investment in the war was such that he wanted to see it through. There had been too much carnage already and he hoped that soon, the conflict would end with a victorious Fire Nation. If only they could capture the Avatar, the war would be speedily won.

Desperately, he wanted to engage the enemy and fight alongside his men, but the Dragon of the West, forbade it. By Iroh's conscious decision, the prince was kept as far from the fighting as possible, assigning him to care for the wounded. The last thing Iroh wanted was to make his nephew callous to killing people, especially before his Sanguine Trial. Though it was many years away, the old general dreaded the day Zuko would have to kill a human for food. In his heart, he also knew his nephew anticipated this day with absolute horror and feared the retribution his brother Ozai, would inflict on him if he failed.

Prince Zuko was growing restless in his assignment of caring for the wounded. The constant smell of death and fear all around him was wearing him down. The only respite he had with his duties came at night, when he gazed at the moon on the deck of the ship, where he would smell that ghostly, delicious scent which was always soothing. From time to time, just as he was dozing off, he would even see a feminine figure, walk towards him from the ocean. But when she got close enough discern any of her facial features he would awaken, with only the memory of two blue eyes smiling at him. These occurrences he kept to himself lest his uncle accuse him of losing his mind, sending him home prematurely.

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After coming home from her exam, Katara was exhausted. She told her mother about the train ride, the exam, and how Sokka had lost some weight, over dinner, before turning in for the night. That night, the water maiden could barely sleep as she looked out through the encasement, catching sight of the full moon and sighed. She replayed the interview in her head and kept face palming herself at the answers she gave. It would be a miracle if she got in. All she could hope for was a near perfect score on the exams.

Determined to get some rest, Katara quietly stepped outside of the apartment, water skin in hand, to bend. Though her knowledge was limited, she had mastered a few moves on her own, noticing her control was greatest during a full moon. As she moved through variations of the forms she roughly remembered from the scrolls she had seen at the library, she fell into a trance-like state. It seemed to happen to her often while bending in the moonlight, but she dared not tell her mother, for fear she would be prohibited from bending.

Almost every time she would bend, she would slip into a dream-like state where she would find herself on board a strange ship bending water around a sleeping Fire Nation soldier. It was always the same soldier though he was often in different places on the ship. When she tried to wake him up to ask where she was, she would always end up coming to. This strange occurrence had just become part of her bending routine, so she thought nothing more of it, lest someone call her bending evil magic, like Sokka was prone to do.

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The days seemed to crawl by like years, killing Katara with anticipation. More than anything she wanted to go the Royal Academy, so that she could learn to Waterbend. It would be two more weeks before she would find out if she would be studying alongside Sokka. Nothing she did, could take her mind off of that scroll she would be expecting. Even Suki tried to distract her attention away from the acceptance scroll, but had failed.

Finally, the much awaited piece of parchment came. A loud shriek reverberated throughout the lower tier walls – she had gotten in! To her surprise, instead of starting her studies there in the fall, she would have to attend an orientation which would run through most of the summer. While she was sad she would have to leave her mother early, she was rather ecstatic that she had gotten in. Attached was a list of all of the items she would need to bring with her on the first day. Her mother had to read the letter for her since she was unable to get past the line that read: "Congratulations Ms. Ogasawara, Katara…"

That weekend Kilana closed the flower stand early and threw a party for her daughter. All of her friends were there, even Sokka, who had requested special permission from the dean to attend his sister's party. For Katara it was like a dream come true, and she didn't want to wake from it.

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For months Jet had subtly revealed his affection towards Katara, but found her unresponsive to his efforts. The news of his acceptance into the next Officer Candidate Trial and her acceptance into the Academy filled him with urgency, making his efforts more frantic. She would be leaving the lower tiers and meeting wealthier young men, whom she might like better. He didn't stand a chance. If he wanted to have Katara be his girlfriend, he needed ask her as soon as possible. This party would prove to be the perfect time to declare his feelings towards her. The only hope he harbored was that Sokka didn't punch him in the eye as a result of this revelation.

Throughout the party he had stood close to her, trying to monopolize her attention, willfully ignoring how she continuously tried to avoid him. Towards the end of the party he managed to trap her in a corner. Brown eyes gazed at startled blue and for once, Jet was glad for Sokka's stupid boomerang tricks, since he had taken everyone outside to show off, leaving him and Katara alone inside.

"Katara," Jet whispered softly boring his eyes into hers. For so long, he had tried to tell her that he cared deeply for her, but so far she had missed all of his hints. Being more direct would make him vulnerable, something he had never been around Jun, but he felt his heart was safe in Katara's gentle hands. As his face came closer to hers, her doe-like eyes stared back at him, her stomach clenched.

Whatever he wanted to tell her, it could not be good. She had worked hard to get over him and had almost done so. The last thing she wanted was for him to ruin her progress by saying something stupid to her, something along the lines of: "I like you as more than a friend." Her heart raced as he felt his warm breath tickle her face. She needed to get away from him, fast.

Smiling weakly, two blue eyes darted nervously towards the door. "Jet I think someone's coming and I'll never hear the end of it if Aunt Sirana sees us like this." Two small hands gently tried to push him away, only to have his hands gently wrap themselves around her wrists, freezing her in place. Inhaling deeply, his elaborate speech was erased from his mind when he caught Katara's flowery scent. The sweet fragrance made his head spin, leaving him speechless and dizzy.

"Katara I..." but the moment was broken as Sokka's booming voice was heard as the doorknob turned. Jet backed away from Katara, as though she were poison. Sokka eyed him suspiciously before looking over at his sister who was casually standing there. She looked untouched. _Good enough_, Sokka thought to himself as the rest of the guests came in, though it didn't spare Jet a distrustful glare.

The rest of the night was spent in pleasant conversation. Jet told Kilana he had resumed his martial arts lessons and was paying for them by taking on students. The pride in her eyes was unmistakable, filling Jet with warmth. She was genuinely proud of him, something no one, save Katara, had ever been. He told her he would be taking the Officer Candidate Trials in two weeks, and if he passed, he would immediately leave for the inner ring of Ba Sing Se. Unable to contain her excitement and pride, the matron halted all conversation to make the announcement. Everyone cheered and wished him luck, except for a blue eyed girl who quietly made her way into the kitchen, unnoticed by everyone but Jet.

When the party was over, Suki and Sokka disappeared as the clean-up began. Jet hung around, helping Kilana and Aunt Sirana tidy up the apartment. Katara was in the kitchen scouring dishes with her Waterbending, when Jet walked in. Trying to hide her discomfort, the young woman invited him to help her dry the dishes. Awkwardly he approached her, grabbing a dry dishrag before starting his task. She wished him luck on his exam, avoiding looking into his eyes. The corners of Jet's mouth turned up slightly as he thanked her. Running out of things to say, the water maiden concentrated on her task.

The minutes crawled by like hours in their deathly silence until the pile of dishes was gone. Katara smiled weakly at him, thanking him for his attending her party and helping with the dishes. As she tried to walk past him, Jet panicked. Every single attempt to tell her how he felt had been a total failure. If he passed his Officer Candidate exam, he might never have another chance to tell her how he felt.

It was now or never. All words failed him, and not knowing what else to do, he grabbed her arm spinning her around straight into his lips. Katara's eyes grew wide with shock, as she angrily pulled away from him. Of all the things Jet had expected that night, dodging the daggers she threw at him with her eyes, was not among them. All he could do was stand there dumbly as she tried to regain her composure. This was wholly unexpected.

"How could you Jet?" Betrayal was brimming from her eyes. "All these months, and you choose now to do this?" She hissed as her lower lip quivered. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Jet was unsure of what had just transpired but thought it best to keep his mouth shut as she continued. "I'm leaving. You're leaving. There's no future for us now!" Her head shook as she looked up trying to hold back the tears streaming from her eyes. "We can't happen Jet, not anymore." The last words out of hit him in the chest like an Earthbender's boulder. He had waited too long and had lost both a best friend and his girl. Calmly, he nodded his head, swallowing hard. Turning his back on her, he left her apartment without saying a word to her. A raging fire burned in him. He would make something of himself and win Katara over – no matter what the price.

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Zuko's day had been particularly grueling. He was at the encampment at the base of the temple mount. On the other side, one of the tanks scaling the mountain was knocked off by an air volley crushing eight soldiers. Three had died on impact, but five were critically injured. Two of the five had lost their legs one at the thigh. Zuko had seconds to stop the bleeding. The femoral artery had been severed and the soldier had already lost consciousness. He had maybe a minute to try to save him. Running towards the tent, Zuko grabbed the nearest sword and heated it up until it burned like a brand. Sprinting back to the man he cauterized the wound. Calling over a corpsman to clean the wound, he tended to the other amputee, repeating the same treatment.

Once he was finished with the critically injured he began splinting the broken bones of the other three men, in some instances offering them a special tea, his uncle like to brew to relieve the pain of the injured soldiers. To relocate dislocated joints, he would often require the assistance of a corpsman to hold down the patient while he manipulated the joint back into its socket, a sometimes excruciatingly painful procedure for the patient.

When the sun set, the fighting stopped. Zuko was glad to bathe in the ocean and wash off the stench of human sweat and blood. While he still needed blood to live, he had a deeper appreciation for the humans whose blood he consumed. Because he not passed the Sanguine Trial he could not yet hunt humans, not that he wanted to, but he now understood the sanctity of the trial. This understanding, however, did not diminish his apprehension to undergo it.

He relaxed his body in the water, taking in the jeweled sky above him with the new moon. As he closed his eyes, his mind replayed the carnage of earlier that day. Sooner or later his uncle would chastise him for his prioritization of the wounded. The first amputee he had treated had died anyway, and the second one almost had because of his delay. Learning to let people die was a lesson the old general wanted him to learn, but it wasn't one he felt ready to master. Once finished with his ablutions, he went straight to his cot, where he fell asleep to the soft crashing of the waves and that sweet flowery scent.

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The war with the Air Nomads was no where near over, but they were proving much more difficult to defeat than the Fire Lord had previously calculated. Knowing he was unlikely to find an open ally in the Earth King, he opted for a less diplomatic solution. There was an old and powerful vampire clan that possessed a large fleet of ships. If Ozai could convince them to put them under his command, then he would have a greater chance of capturing the Avatar and winning the war.

In order to make a convincing case to the clan, without sounding desperate, he decided to recall his son and brother from the Southern Air Temple campaign. Perhaps his useless son could be used to gain support of the Earth Kingdom's Souxin clan, if his son "persuaded" the clan leader's daughter to support them. He would have to talk to Zuko to impress upon him the importance of procuring the daughter's favor.

Immediately, the Fire Lord drafted two messages, one to his brother and son and the other to the clan leader. The sooner he could arrange the meeting, the better. The cost of fighting the war was spiraling out of control, and would do everything he could to ease the burden. Soon he hoped have the Air Temples at his mercy and the Souxins' fleet at his disposal.

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The summer was finally here, and Katara would be heading off to the Academy. Sokka would not be joining them that summer since he was assigned to do a summer residency in Gaoling with a family by the last name of Bei Fong. They owned a shipping company and Sokka was supposed to learn about government-business relations from his three month stay there. Katara only hoped he would be on his best behavior and not eat them out of house and home.

Most of her items had been packed and taken to the Academy. All that was left was her departure. As excited as she was about leaving, she couldn't help but feel sadness. Jet had left months ago, probably never to return to Ba Sing Se, her mother would probably move into the middle ring giving up the apartment they had grown so fond of. Suki had indeed joined the Kyoshi Warriors, having even less time to spend with them. Everything was changing. Her only source of comfort was that things seemed to be changing for the better. Sighing deeply, she continued to separate the flowers as she prepared to close the stand, taking in the sunset.

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Zuko received his father's letter with some reservation. Being recalled to the Fire Nation during the middle of the campaign seemed like a vote of no confidence in his uncle's ability to win the war. Still, he longed to return home and any reason was good enough. They would sail back to the Fire Nation after sunset, as soon as Commander Zhao gave the signal that he had successfully taken over the troops. Commander Zhao would be Iroh's temporary replacement until they returned. Zuko didn't like the commander, but he was not about to defy his father.

As the sun set, Zuko caught its golden reflection on the glassy seas. In a matter of days he would be home eating fireflakes in his mother's garden. The blood and despair of the dying soldiers would no longer cling to his skin and their fear would no longer burn his nose. But he would miss the ocean and the haunting, soothing scent he would smell as he was falling to sleep. Of all the things he'd be leaving behind, that would be the only thing he would miss.

As the sails unfurled to gather the gentle, blowing breeze, Iroh looked back at the rocky mountain peak that housed the Avatar. Soon he would return to take it, and his nephew would share in the victory with him. He just hoped his brother would be kind enough to the Air Nomads to make them a vassal state instead of implementing more nefarious plans.

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As soon as his boat docked into port, Iroh was greeted by his brother Ozai, who barked at him to get his things ready to set sail in three hours. Rolling his eyes to the back of his head, the great general turned back into the ship relaying the message to his nephew. Prince and crowned prince scowled in unison as they gathered their belongings and made their way to an unmarked merchant ship.

Their trip back to the Fire Nation had been long and fairly uneventful. There was a problem with the boiler, which was immediately repaired, but other than that, everything had gone off smoothly. Everyone's hopes had been soaring. They were finally returning home, leaving the atrocities of war behind them, if only for a few days. But now, Zuko and Iroh didn't even get those few days to rest. They were going to the Earth Kingdom to try to get support from some vampire clan, Zuko had never even heard of. What was worse, was that his father had certain "expectations" of him in regards to the clan leader's daughter, whom he was sure he would dislike.

"So much for coming home," Zuko grumbled under his breath. As the merchant ship set sail, Zuko looked back towards the dark, volcanic hills surrounding the royal city. Never had he been so close yet so far from something he loved. Making his way back to his makeshift quarters, he plopped down on his bed, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow. A deep scowl remained on his lips.

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The faint rays of sunlight were barely visible over the horizon when Zuko felt a meek, trembling presence in his room. With a start, he flew out of bed and assumed a fighting stance, nearly causing the third-class petty officer an aneurysm. The young sailor, who was almost in tears, informed him that they had arrived in the port of Ba Sing Se after four days of sailing, and were awaiting permission to dock. Trying hard not to roll his eyes to the back of his head, the prince gave the order and dressed himself.

It was just the ship's standard crew, the Fire Lord, Prince Zuko, Uncle Iroh and a small contingent of six elite guards half of them human, half of them vampire in composition. It was Zuko's responsibility to oversee the docking of the ship while his father and uncle slept. It was just one of the perks of being the youngest royal on board.

The crew was busy tying up the boat trying to beat daylight, when two of the dockhands helping them dock suddenly attacked one of the boatswain's mates of the unsuspecting crew. Screams of pain and terror were heard throughout the docks as Zuko and the guards tried to fight the dockhands off. During the melee two more dockhands joined the attack on the crew. He wrestled the man off of the injured boatswain's mate, landing on top of the dockhand with a crash. He pinned him down, arms at his sides. Yellow eyes met gold and white fangs glistened in the moonlight.

"I see you're one of us," the vampire hissed, curiously tilting his head from side to side getting close enough to feel Zuko's icy cold breath on his face.

"Never one of you, night-walking filth," Zuko spat in fury as he dug his knee into the vampire's chest until he heard a sickening crack. The vampire's face contorted in pain as he head butted Zuko in the temple and pushed him off of him. He sped off into the dark of the night, the rest of his companions taking a cue from him. The attack left four crew members bitten and one dead boatswain's mate. Zuko turned the injured, fuming at the events that had transpired. His father was not pleased and ordered Zuko to hunt those rogue vampires.

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A/N Well this is the next chapter in all of its unbetaed glory. Sorry about the wait. I hope this is satisfactory. Any questions or suggestions, feel free to send them my way.

I am currently more than halfway done with the next chapter where the Blue Spirit makes his debut. I appreciate your patience. Thank you for reading.

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	4. Vampires and Blue Spirits

Within twenty minutes of pulling into port, a large carriage drawn by six ostrich-horses had arrived for the Fire Lord and his party. Two terrified coachmen approached the vessel, begging forgiveness for their tardiness. Apparently one of their wheels had gotten caught in some sludge on the way to the docks, and it had taken them some time to free it. Ozai was not amused and would have ripped their heads off if not for Iroh's timely intercession.

With bowed heads the coachmen opened the doors, helping the two men get in, leaving Zuko behind to tend to the newly turned sailors. He was not to go to the Souxin estate until he completed his mission of tracking down the vampires who had attacked their men. Despite the crowned prince's surliness, he was secretly glad he did not have to meet Song, the clan leader's daughter. It wasn't that he didn't like girls, or had anything against her, it was just that he had more important things to do with his life than seduce pretty girls – like winning a war for instance. When the Fire Nation was finally at peace, he would be able to afford the distraction of women. But until then, he needed to remain focused on his responsibilities, like any good sovereign.

Once the carriage left, Zuko returned to the ship. This day promised to be long and pointless. The only thing he looked forward to was his vampire hunt later that night. If he wanted to be in any condition to track and deal with those vampires, he would need to get his rest. Reluctantly he trudged below deck trying to drown out the sobbing of the men who had just been turned. They would be fine after sunset, if they didn't try to kill themselves by running into daylight.

As he got closer, he heard one of the men chanting a woman's name over and over, like a prayer. Zuko stopped only for a moment, feeling almost sympathy for the new life these sailors would have to get used to. He doubted any of these men would be accepted by their families once they found out about their change in condition. Countless times, newly turned vampires in denial had killed their family members when their hunger for blood had gotten out of control, and he knew that it would be no different for them. Part of him almost wished he had let them die.

Breathing deeply, he continued to his room calling out to one of the guards in front of the newly turned sailors' room. "I'll be in my quarters resting. Do not disturb me unless, my father or uncle returns, one of the neophyte sailors tries to kill himself, or the ship comes under attack, understood?" Two pairs of yellow eyes peered out through the skull- like faceplates as they nodded in unison. Closing the door tightly behind him, he laid on his bed, rubbing his temples as he worked on a plan to track down the vampires responsible for this morning's attack. Finding them would not be easy, but he would not relent until he had.

While he was trying to think of all the possible places a vampire would frequent, a powerful urge to feed began to spread through his body. He had felt something similar, only a handful of during a sanguine moon. A smug smile graced his face as his eyes narrowed, at the realization. Perhaps these culprits would be easier to find than he had previously thought.

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This morning was proving to be very difficult. Shifting her weight from side to side while she forced a smile on her lips, Katara tried to hide her frustration with this customer in particular. Normally they would only get customers this picky once in a while, but today she had already seen three, and it wasn't even noon yet. If not for the fact that she was trying to enjoy her last day in Ba Sing Se, she would have broken down in tears.

"This one is does not have an even number of petals," the portly matron whined as she tossed it back into the pile. "And this one…this one doesn't smell like a rose, it smells more like a panda lily." Sighing heavily Katara, politely pointed her to a silk flower shop a couple of blocks away, hoping to be rid of her. Instead, that earned her a dirty look from the expensively dressed, rotund woman. Her nose looked like it was stuck in the air and her jowls wiggled every time she spoke, reminding Katara of a chewing bull-moose. Muttering angrily under her breath, the woman picked up a random bunch of panda lilies and paid her for them.

But as she left, she clearly said something unflattering about her Water Tribe descent. Katara had to practically strap her arms at her sides to keep from water whipping the old hag. _Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in_ she reminded herself. It was her last day and she was going to enjoy it, even if she had to force herself to do so. Fortunately, other customers who were of a more pleasant disposition soon came by, making her forget the nastiness of that woman.

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Ozai and Iroh had arrived at the Souxin estate and were immediately greeted by a tall man with gray hair, wearing heavy green robes. "Welcome Fire Lord Ozai and Prince Iroh. It is always a pleasure to have you visit my master's humble home," the man said bowing respectfully.

"Thank you steward, I hope this meeting will be brief and full of positive developments," the Fire Lord said with a smirk.

"I am sure it will," the man answered in kind. "I am sure it will. Now please follow me. I will personally show you to your rooms as I am sure you will want to freshen up after your long journey." The siblings nodded, following their host inside the palace-like home.

The instant Ozai was ready, he practically ran to Iroh's room, knocking down the door. Hearing the inconsiderate racket his little brother was making, the crownless prince rushed to open it, wanting to avoid disturbing their sleeping hosts. "Have you forgotten that not everyone is awake during the day?" Iroh chastised, before dodging two fireballs aimed at his head.

"We are, and that's all that really matters, _brother._" the last word was dripping with contempt. Shaking his head in resignation, Iroh finished tying his robes before smoothing out his topknot. "Why are you doing that?" Ozai asked impatiently. "It's not like anyone will care about _your_ appearance."

"Ozai, you're just jealous" the prince smirked, further deepening the Fire Lord' scowl. "As old and fat as you think I am, I still look more regal than you." A large burst of flame erupted from the Fire Lord's mouth as Iroh scurried past the door.

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The master of the house was in a dark room, waiting for his guests. He had stayed up, just to greet them. It was not everyday that he entertained royalty, especially of the vampire kind. It would be interesting to finally meet the day-walking clan that had usurped power from the last human Fire Lord, almost 700 years ago. Perhaps, he could even get his son or daughter betrothed to one of the royals, strengthening his bloodline along with his influence.

Not that he needed to. After all, he had the ear of Long Feng, the Earth King's most powerful advisor. Some even thought he was the real power behind the throne, but Pak Souxin knew better. Because even if the king was Long Feng's puppet, he was Long Feng's puppet master. He even had some control over the two vampire clans of the North Pole, though none of the Air Tribes, since they didn't really have any vampires living among them. If he could ally himself to the Fire Nation, perhaps in time he could gain control of the Fire Lord's clan, leaving only the Air Nomads out of his reach, but if he played his cards right, he might be able to kill two birds with one stone.

It was a dangerous endeavor for the Fire Lord to appear in the Earth Kingdom, without first paying a visit to the King. If he were found out, it could have devastating consequences for Ozai. It was manageable for the fire sovereign to fight a war with the Air Nomads, but he doubted the Fire Nation would withstand a two front war, which this affront to the Earth sovereign would surely cause. Ozai had given Pak more power than he realized. A wicked smile blossomed on the vampire's pink lips. Yes, this would be a productive meeting.

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Master Pak Souxin did not so much hear the two vampires enter his parlor as sense them. Rising immediately, he bowed low to them welcoming them into his home. "Fire Lord Ozai, Prince Iroh, it is an honor for you to grace my humble abode with your most exalted presence." Iroh smiled broadly, while a mask of impassiveness was worn by his younger brother.

Without missing a beat the Fire Lord replied, "Lord Souxin, I thank you for your kind hospitality." His expression remained unchanged.

"If you'll excuse me my Lord, I must be getting some rest. It is almost noon and I will be rising at sundown. The servants and steward will assist you with anything you may need. Please make this your home." The Earth Kingdom noble and the Fire Nation noble locked eyes as Ozai pressed his lips together in displeasure. The Dragon of the West immediately intervened, diffusing the coming confrontation.

"We appreciate your courtesy in waiting up for us Lord Souxin. We understand not everyone keeps the same hours we do." A subtle look was shot to Ozai by both the host and the old general, which Ozai missed because he was too busy glaring at the wall. "We will also be turning in since there is much we need to discuss – after sundown, of course." Master Souxin Pak bowed once again before taking his leave. Ozai stalked back to his room without saying a word to his brother, who somehow managed to find his way into the kitchen.

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The day seemed to drag for Katara who had to attend the flower stand by herself. Her mother had come by earlier in the afternoon and told her she couldn't relieve her because she was making a special Water Tribe dinner for her, and it had taken her all day plus a prayer to find the right ingredients, not to mention the hours it would take to actually stew the sea prunes. She would have to close the stand all by herself.

It was times like these when she most missed Jet. This was not the first time her mother had left her to close the stand by herself, but it was the first time she would be completely alone while doing it. Most of the time, Jet had come by to make sure she got home in one piece. The times he couldn't make it, Sokka had come by, never failing to rush her so that he could get back to Suki or his studies. Even when Jet was dating Jun, he was always protective of her – _like a little sister_ she thought sourly.

A long, drawn out sigh escaped her lips as she looked out at the busy streets of Ba Sing Se. The sun's descent cast a soft shadow over every thing. People seemed to be walking in a bigger hurry than usual and most of the stands around her had closed at the first sign of sundown. She had heard a couple of people murmuring something about staying indoors because of the sanguine moon. Whatever that meant, it didn't sound good. As the last dying rays of sun disappeared over the horizon, Katara went to work cleaning up.

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At sunset, Zuko had set off for Ba Sing Se, hoping to quickly find the men who had killed his boatswain's mate. In search for an appropriate disguise, the prince practically turned the ship inside out. He had spared only his father's room, out of respect for his sovereign, and because he could not pick the lock open. Uncle Iroh's quarters however, had been left wide open, at least that was the story he planned on sticking to. There he had found a very interesting blue oni mask in a bag near some of his scrolls. It looked familiar, but he couldn't remember why. Pulling it out, he stared into the hollow orbs of the mask for a few seconds, fighting down a shiver, before tucking it behind his waistband and setting out for the city.

Tracking the men had proven harder than Zuko thought it would. Vampire society was different in the Earth Kingdom than that of the Fire Nation. In the Fire Nation, vampires would work together forming tight networks, with vast amounts of inter-clan, non clan cooperation. Certainly rivalries between clans existed, but not like in Ba Sing Se, where the clans isolated themselves from the competition and every non-clan nightwalker had to fend for himself.

After a little investigating, the young prince quickly learned that there was one clan affiliated vampire that did associate with the clan-less nightwalkers, though it was only to inflict violence on unsuspecting humans. His name and whereabouts were not revealed to Zuko, irking him to no end. He had hoped that his intelligence gathering would have been more fruitful, but there was still his back-up plan. Sanguine moons always called to vampires, stoking their lust for blood and he was sure this one in particular would be no different. The sanguine moon would take care of drawing him out – _along with every other vampire on the city_, he scowled in frustration. It was just a matter of walking the city after sundown, trying to identify the scent of the attackers.

As he scoured the city, hoping to catch this foul odor, but found nothing more than a couple of drunken humans on the street. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he passed the stumbling men. If they did not get indoors soon, they would surely become someone's meal. Even though they were not his concern, he still muttered a prayer to Agni for them and was heartened to see the streets relatively free of humans. Even the notorious Dai Li agents were nowhere to be found.

Then he caught a strange human scent. It was female and different from anything he had smelled thus far, but in some odd way, strangely familiar. Shaking his head he tried to ignore it, only to be distracted further by its pleasant aroma until the wind changed direction bringing to him a different human scent, along with a familiarly foul stench. He narrowed his eyes in recognition, leaping off the rooftops to investigate.

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Unfortunately, closing up the stand took a little longer than she expected. The flowers were in a hodgepodge and sorting them was a painstaking process. By the time she finished, the sun had set and the only light left was that of the full, blood-red moon hanging low over the horizon. This portion of the city was fairly safe – for the lower tier, so she figured her best course of action was to get home as soon as possible, which meant a nice jog back home.

The young Waterbender was running through the dirty, uneven city streets of Ba Sing Se, trying to take the sights and sounds of her adoptive home in, one last time before leaving. Never again would she take the same route back to the apartment from the flower stand. Sweet memories filled her head as she looked around the dilapidated apartments in her neighborhood, remembering where the cabbage merchant's cart collapsed under her weight and Jet's.

A smile crept on her lips. It was the first time her mother had sent her to bed without dinner, but of course, Jet had come to save the day by sneaking into her room to bring her a bowl of rice and a cup of tea. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she really missed him. Right after he left, she spent many sleepless nights wondering if she should have taken a chance on him. Maybe a long distance relationship could have worked out. But every time she thought it over, she arrived at the same conclusion – not with the Jet she knew. Perhaps in time, he would change and she would be able to trust herself to him.

The moonlight cast an eerie glow on the city, giving it an aura of foreboding. It was dark and her mother was waiting for her to come home. She couldn't be late. Aunt Sirana was coming over with her husband because her mother was making a special farewell dinner for her. As she was jogging something struck her as odd. She hadn't bumped into anyone yet. It was a nice night, but no one was outside. Most nights, people would be out and about until midnight but today, even the drunkards stayed off the street.

"How odd," she thought to herself. "This can't be caused by a simple red moon. What if the curfew changed and no one told me," she thought in a panic. "What if the Dai Li try to arrest me for breaking curfew?" With that thought in mind she ran even faster.

"Four more blocks to go before I can get home to safety and sea prune pudding," she mused as her mouth began to water. Today's dinner promised to be delicious. Her mom was going to make all sorts of Water Tribe dishes and had even gone through the trouble of procuring authentic ingredients. She couldn't wait to get home.

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The prince had caught the scent of the man whose ribs he had crushed. Donning a blue oni mask he had found among his uncle's belongings he ran after the scent, before the wind changed course. Rounding the corner of a dilapidated apartment, he caught a glimpse of the frightened man being chased by four vampires.

It was obvious by how fast the vampires were running that they were merely playing with their victim, much like a cat plays with a mouse before devouring it. Zuko's stomach turned in revulsion. Whatever remorse he would have felt in causing their deaths, evaporated immediately. He could hear his Uncle's voice in the back of his head, telling him these vampires were crazy and needed to go down. These men lacked respect for the very humans responsible for their existence.

Two golden slits peered behind the dark wells of the mask as he prepared himself for a confrontation. Taking a deep breath, he reached behind him for his broadswords, stopping in mid grip. His eyes widened at the new scent in his nostrils. It was that same female…and she was heading straight towards them! Concerned that she might interfere with his plans, once again he leapt to the rooftops, running towards her in silence. Once he spotted her, he jumped down to follow her.

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Katara was rounding a corner when she heard a man's bloodcurdling scream come from somewhere around the other side. Screeching to a halt, she stepped back behind the corner, mouth gaping wide open at the sight. Three men were standing around a fourth man who was on his knees, his head being pulled up by a fifth, who ran a dagger across his throat. The three other men whooped and cheered before hurling themselves at the victim, who now lay prostrate on the ground, like a broken doll. The fifth man licked the blood off of the dagger, a contented smile breaking across his lips, making the bile rise up in Katara's throat.

She shivered upon hearing laughter and slurping noises coming from the group of men. Placing her hands over her ears, she tried to drown out the horrible sounds but in the silence that engulfed the night, it was impossible. The memory of those sounds would sear themselves into her heart and mind. Hot tears welled in her eyes.

Recoiling in horror, she took a step back around the corner when her blood ran cold. Something cold, hard and male in form was blocking her escape route and she couldn't see who it was. She fought down a shiver that tried to crawl up her spine. Whoever he was, he felt more like a corpse, than a living, breathing human. Instinctively, she tried to run in the direction opposite the man when she felt a strong hand grab her by the wrist, slinging her body back towards him. His arm gently wrapped itself around her waist, before becoming an icy vice as he placed his index finger on her lips. Closing her eyes tightly, she prayed it wasn't a companion of any of the men she had just seen.

Struggling in vain, she tried to free herself from his grip, but it was of no use. He was too strong. If this man thought she would be an obedient little victim, he was dead wrong. She was not going to die without a fight. Trying not to move her head around, so as to not alert her captor, her eyes scanned the area looking for a fountain or a puddle. At this point, any source of water would do. Finally, about three hundred meters away, she spotted a trough. If she could just free herself from her attacker, she just might have a chance to live.

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She was scared and Zuko could sense that she was planning to do something stupid. Her heart and breathing were a dead giveaway as to what her intentions were. Not that he really cared about this human, in particular, his target was the group of men before them, but he did want to limit his collateral damage. His mission was clear, men on board his ship were murdered or bitten by these vampires earlier that day, and he was going to keep them from hurting other humans.

The girl in his arms seemed to relax against his body, pulling his mind away from the memory of his murdered men. He was unsure of what to make of her when suddenly he felt a sharp pain on his foot, causing him to release his tight grip on the girl. With all her might, she had brought her heel down on his foot, nearly breaking it in her attempt. The instant she felt the slack, she bolted towards the trough, catching the attention of the group of vampires.

A low growl escaped the masked man as he unsheathed his swords. That idiotic girl would ruin everything! If she wanted to die, he was not going to bother saving her. Stupidly, she had given away his position and now he had to find a way to salvage the situation. Perhaps, he could use her as a distraction. She deserved it after all. Deciding that he would pick off the men from behind, he would let them concentrate all of their efforts on trying to capture her. While not the most chivalrous thing he had done, he felt she owed him.

Katara reached the trough, gracefully commanding the water to dance around her, occasionally lashing at any figure that came close to her. Under the light of the full moon, she could clearly make out their faces. The leader of the group, the man who had savagely slashed the dead man's throat, was breathtakingly beautiful. He was tall, with broad shoulders accented by the expensive robes he wore. His eyes were like two deep set emeralds amidst the most chiseled features and unblemished, milky complexion she had ever seen on anyone.

Shaking her head, she tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but his eyes kept drawing her in, disrupting her focus. The two other men wore simpler clothes and while handsome, there was something feral and predatory in their countenances. If only the man closest to her had looked that way, she would have no trouble defending herself.

"Are you lost little girl?" The man cooed. "Maybe I can help you find your way back home." The corners of his lips curled into a smirk.

"Thanks but no thanks. I can find my own way." Katara croaked, mentally kicking herself for showing any semblance of fear. She was a Water Tribe maiden. The blood of warriors ran through her veins. Fear was not something one showed the adversary. Still, she would have felt a lot better if she were more skilled with her Waterbending.

"Don't be scared, I won't hurt you." His voice was soft and velvety, immediately clouding Katara's judgment. "I just want to…play." Shutting her eyes tightly Katara desperately tried to concentrate on keeping control of the water, but the harder she fought, the deeper she fell into his hypnotic spell, until she was left standing inches away from the lead vampire, with a blank look on her face. Green eyes became yellow and two razor-sharp fangs glistened in the moonlight as he smiled broadly. "I promise you'll have lots of fun, little girl," _but not as much as I will_. Numbly she nodded as she walked into his dark embrace.

In the dark, a pair of golden eyes narrowed at the sight. The time to make his move had come. All of the vampires' attentions were focused on taking the girl. With one powerful leap, he descended upon the men who kept their distance from their leader, impatiently awaiting the scraps. In one graceful motion he dealt a swift end to one of the vampires. The leader merely turned around and nodded to the two other men to deal with the nuisance. He had more important things to take care of.

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Katara's senses were drowned in the man holding her tightly. He smelled of spring rain and honeysuckle, with velvety soft skin. When his nose traced from her jaw line to her collar bone, it an electric current shot through her body. A low moan escaped her throat when he found a sensitive spot at the base of her neck, which made him bite her a little harder, but still not hard enough to break the skin. The haze around her got heavier, but as she heard the soft 'clink' her necklace made when it hit the ground, it lifted enough for her to process her surroundings, though not enough to react to them.

In the distance, she could make out two figures fighting. One of the men she recognized as one of her attackers, the other was…a demon? He definitely had the figure of a man, but his face was not human and he moved with such preternatural grace, speed and ferocity, she doubted he was of this realm. She was completely transfixed by his movements, until she was brusquely snapped out of her rapture by an icy cold grip.

"Where did you go?" A velvety voice demanded as ten icicles dug themselves into her arms. A trace of hurt, emanated from his yellow eyes as their gaze penetrated hers. She blinked hard, shaking her head. That voice was dulling her senses, pushing her into his thrall yet again. Satisfied with his efforts, the vampire started again. "What is your name?"

Unable to keep the word from spilling out of her mouth, she replied, "Katara." She was completely under his power, and even though a small voice in the back of her head told her to run away from him, her body refused to respond.

"You're very pretty you know," he whispered as he traced down the graceful curve of her neck with the tip of his tongue as she let out a small whimper. Once again, she became more aware of her surroundings.

"It burns," she whispered shivering, as she tried to push him away from her. His tongue was so icy, it felt like cold fire. "Please stop."

"But we're just getting started," his grip had gone from uncomfortable to painful. A frigid hand caressed her left cheek, numbing it before a sharp nail ripped a long gash on the side of her face. She could feel the hot liquid spilling out of her, dripping down her jaw line, onto her neck. Once again the vampire traced the path of her blood with his tongue, a deep moan coming from his throat. "You're my first water maiden, you know. I will never forget you. You should feel lucky."

Katara was too frightened to speak. Vampires weren't real…were they? They were just the figment of the collective imagination of adults, who needed a non-violent method of coercion to get their children to behave…right? But here she was, in the clutches of a vampire. What else could he be? This yellow-eyed monster was cold like a corpse and drinking her blood. Oh gods, she was his dinner! All she could do was look up to the heavens, praying to the moon spirit that she not die in such a humiliating form. Closing her eyes, she waited for the final bite, which was sure to come soon, but instead, felt the burn of flesh being ripped open across her chest by powerful claws, partially revealing her bosom.

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Once the masked figure vanquished the last vampire, a pair of golden eyes bored into the two figures in front of him. As soon as the girl's blood was spilled, he had caught her scent and recognized it at once. It was unmistakably sweet and fragrant and almost every night for two years, he had been soothed to sleep by it. Unsure of what this meant, he wanted the girl to live, so that he could find out.

The low hanging moon cast an ominous red glow on the unhappy couple before him. Zuko was taken aback by how docile the young maiden had become. How was her ferocity so easily tamed by the vampire? _He must be very old_, the prince mused, _only older vampires can put their victims in a hypnotic daze with such ease._ Gripping his swords tightly, he made his way towards the couple. If this vampire was indeed as old as he believed him to be, he would be harder to defeat then the other ones had been.

Making absolutely no noise as he walked, he nearly palm slapped his forehead when he accidentally kicked a ribbon with some sort of shiny, circular pendant attached. A loud clink rang through the earthen buildings all around. Angrily he picked it off the ground staring momentarily at the wave design on the pendant. "Water Tribe," he muttered thinking nothing of it he stuffed it in his pocket, secretly glad neither of the figures had heard the noise as he continued on his way.

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The head vampire was still unaware of the figure approaching from behind, being too distracted by the sweet, warm blood of his victim. He didn't mind the sight of her bosom either, purposely ripping her robe and part of her breast bindings so that he would have a view with his meal.

There was something about her blood that was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted before. It was sweeter and warmer than that of other humans, leaving no metallic aftertaste. The thought of turning her, crossed his mind. If he did that, then he would have access to her blood for all eternity. Just the thought made him lap up her blood with more vigor. But, what if her blood changed flavor? The only way to ensure her blood stayed the same was to keep her alive, unturned. That was something he didn't think he could do.

For an instant he looked up from her chest surprised to see her standing there with her eyes shut tightly, refusing to look at him. He looked so sad and defenseless, if her blood hadn't been so delectable, he would have drained her already, giving her a quick death. He could be merciful, though it happened only once in a sanguine moon.

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Slowly, she felt herself grow colder as this beast drained the life from her body. The longer he fed, the weaker she felt until her legs gave from under her. All her muscles tightened as she prepared her body for impact with the hard floor, but it never came. Instead she felt herself swept up in a pair of strong arms. Dread filled her heart as she opened her eyes and found herself being carried by the vampire, away from the outer ring of Ba Sing Se. Close behind them she could see the masked figure from earlier that night. The vampire ran at inhuman speeds, but the masked man easily kept up. A sudden realization washed over her captor's features.

"Why don't you just find your own meal and leave us alone, vampire." The head vampire snarled. But the masked figure said nothing, never slowing his pace.

_Vampire_. Katara's heart drowned in despair. _It seems like I am going to die tonight, one way or another._ A flood of memories invaded her mind as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. One memory in particular stood out in her mind through the jumble of images. It was that of a young boy, with skin as white as freshly fallen snow and golden eyes, carrying her up the brow of a fearsome looking ship. Clearly she could hear his voice asking "Will she be okay uncle?" Shaking her head, she tried to clear her mind to try to think of some way to survive this situation.

Katara no longer recognized where they were, causing her hope to sink even lower. Even if she did escape the dueling vampires, she wouldn't be able to find her way away from them. Clenching both fists in frustration, she decided to meet her fate with as much dignity as possible, gathering all of her strength to try to attempt her escape one last time.

The only truly free appendage Katara had was her head, and she used it accordingly, smashing it against her captor's temple, with all her might. Immediately the vampire stopped and dropped his prey. Bright red blood dribbled from the fresh wound and unfettered rage burned in his eyes which were met by two defiant, blue orbs. A bestial growl escaped his lips, which curled around two, razor sharp fangs. Katara simply pulled her robes closed with her hand before spitting on the ground, never once breaking eye contact.

Forgetting about everything else, the vampire lunged at his wounded victim, readying himself for a kill, when two broadswords prevented his advance. Both hunter and prey stared at the masked figure who had now worked his body between Katara and her captor. Yellow eyes bored into golden and the two men stood at an impasse.

"Do you know who I am?" The regal vampire hissed while the masked figure remained motionless. "I am Count Dao Souxin, and my family owns Ba Sing Se and by extension you and all those who live here."

The dark figure fell into a fighting stance and was mirrored by the count. Katara scooted out of the way, dragging herself as far from the two men as possible. In the distance, she saw a fountain of water. Rising to her feet, she took her first step but never quite made it to the second as her head collided with the cobblestone floor when she collapsed. The world around her spun violently out of control, while the sounds of metal hitting stone and flesh hitting flesh kept Katara mildly conscious. As they fought their way around the corner, she desperately tried to get up and run away, once again crumpling onto the ground as the world danced around her. Clinging on to the last shreds of her consciousness, she prayed with all of her heart that the masked man would win, but the world around her had become a whirlwind as she felt herself fall into the sweet waters of oblivion.

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The masked figure had expected this vampire to offer a little more resistance than the others but much to his dismay, he was particularly fierce. He was stronger and faster than the other ones evading every single attack. The masked figure struggled to keep him at bay even though his opponent was unarmed.

"You peasant!" the yellow-eyed nightwalker spat. "How dare you slay my brothers and keep me from that delicious little girl," he growled. The masked man said nothing instead lunging at him with his swords missing him yet again. He was simply too fast. Never before had the masked man seen anyone move so quickly. As a last resort, he did something he hoped he wouldn't regret. With one swift move the dark figure swung his swords, sending a barrage of flames towards the vampire. This confused the count long enough for the swordsman to strike. Tackling him to the ground, he crossed his swords directly over his throat. The vampire stared defiantly into the golden wells behind the mask.

"My family is powerful and if you kill me, my brothers will hunt you and your little witch down like rabid dogs." His voice was dripping with venom.

The masked figure hissed in low tones "Why did you order an attack on a Fire Nation merchant ship this morning, you filth?" A look of recognition crept over the vampire's face, but he said nothing. He would not betray his master's will. "Answer me!"

Encountering nothing but silence, the armed vampire began his interrogation once again, but found the captive uncooperative. As angry as he was that this vampire was responsible for the mess onboard his ship, he was nobility and didn't want to kill him. But if he let him live, he would continue torturing humans – especially that Water Tribe girl. Casting a look over to the maiden who lay motionless on the ground, Zuko knew what he had to do.

In one swift motion the masked man sliced the vampire's head off and stabbed him in the heart. Under the light of the moon, the vampire became a handful of dust. Prince Zuko remained on his knees, sheathed his swords, picked up the handful of dust and blew it into the wind. He got up and walked over to the unconscious girl on the ground. Placing a gloved hand on her chin, he moved her head from side to side, and looked over her chest, checking for bite marks, sighing with relief when he found none.

The girl began to stir and he slowly backed away. When he saw her open her eyes and sit up, he practically leaped back. She slowly rolled onto her hands and knees and let out a sharp breath. The masked figure did not move. Painstakingly, she stood on her knees and placed her right hand over the back of her head wincing in pain as she slowly rubbed a sore spot. It felt wet and sticky. Pulling her hand back, she pressed her fingers together. "Blood," she whispered with dread.

The masked figure clenched his fists, his body standing ramrod straight. Now that he was closer, there was no doubt in his mind as to where he knew her scent from. It was the same soothing fragrance that had eased him to sleep all of those years at war. In disbelief, he stared into her eyes, his stomach clenching when he realized they were blue.

Images of his short visit to the South Pole where his uncle had received the very mask he was wearing as a gift from a little Waterbender, suddenly filled his mind. Clearly he remembered being annoyed by the cloying aroma of her blood. Looking over the water maiden in front of him, he guessed her age was about fourteen. For an instant, he thought he was going to throw up. Four years ago they had visited the South Pole. That little Waterbender was 10 at the time making her fourteen at the moment.

A sudden urge to run away from her overcame him, but vanished as the girl tried to stand-up and fell. In a heartbeat the dark figure had wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling back. The blue eyed maiden looked up at him, smiling weakly, mouthing the words "thank you." He only nodded, tightening his embrace. Attacked by another dizzy spell, Katara's legs gave from under her.

Feeling he had no other choice, the masked man swept her into his arms and walked over to the fountain. Carefully, he sat her down on the fountain's edge. She sighed softly as she placed her head on his shoulder. He fought the small smile that crept over his lips as he deeply inhaled the scent of her hair and blood. Secretly, he was enjoying the moment as her warmth flowed unto him.

After a few minutes, she sighed, pulling away from him and stared tenderly into the dark voids of his mask. Her face was covered in dry blood and dirt and her robe was bloodstained, but despite all this, she carried herself with dignity. Too many times had he seen human nobles with lesser injuries behave more like undignified peasants.

"I wanted to thank you for…" an icy finger came up to her lips to silence her. The masked vampire simply shook his head as he rose from his sitting place. Katara panicked. She did not want to be left alone at night in a part of the city she did not recognize, with a weird-looking red moon hanging in the sky. The masked figure read the fear in her eyes and sat back down, a little further away from her this time.

"Thank you for saving my life," she spoke, her blue eyes filled with gratitude. "I wish I could repay you." The masked figure shook his head.

Pouting, she stood there for a brief moment, before her eyes lit up. "Here," she said sweetly as her hands went to the back of her neck to untie her necklace. Her eyes went wide with alarm. "My necklace…" Frantically she looked all around her, growing more and more hysterical with every moment she couldn't find it. "Where did it go!" she wailed. "It was a black ribbon with," she sniffed, "a shiny circular pendant."

Unnoticed, the vampire moved his hand over his pocket, feeling the necklace he had picked up. Guilt gnawed at his conscience, but he had to show it to his uncle. He just had to know if this was the same little Waterbender. As soon as Uncle Iroh identified the necklace, he would return it to her. Still, seeing her cry over so small a trinket, made him uneasy.

Wondering if he could still make dinner at the Souxin Estate, he stood up, but not before offering Katara assistance. It was clear to him that she was too weak to make it home on her own and he still didn't know why back at the Air Temple, he was the only one who could smell her scent or why he would smell it in the first place. There were too many questions he wanted answered and he was certain his old uncle would know something about the strange events surrounding this girl.

Glancing around, he recognized at once where he was. The port where his ship was docked, was a few block south from where they stood. For a few moments he deliberated before deciding to let her walk home alone, while he followed along the rooftops without her knowledge. The sanguine moon was still out, meaning more vampires would be roaming about looking for fresh blood. She had lost too much of the precious fluid to be able to fight them off, not that she could, based on her underwhelming display of bending earlier that night.

Soon it became obvious that fighting with gravity was quickly becoming too cumbersome for Katara, who was dangerously swaying on her feet. The vampire put his gloved hands on her shoulders to steady her. Then he walked away from her, vanishing into the shadows. A look of sheer panic crossed her face when she realized she was all alone and took a frantic step forward to try to find her savior, but the world spun uncontrollably before fading to black. Zuko sprinted back towards the girl, barely catching the unconscious figure before she hit the ground. Letting out a frustrated growl, he swept her up and carried her back to his ship. Maybe when Uncle Iroh returned, he would be able to piece all of this together.

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A/N

I hope you enjoyed it. If it is inconsistent with anything else, I have written so far, please let me know. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Have a nice weekend and thanks for taking the time to read.


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